Damages for kidney blunder woman

Mrs Appleton had the operation in April 2004

A woman has received £33,650 in damages after a kidney was removed when she was misdiagnosed with cancer.

Carol Appleton, 62, of Rugeley, Staffs, started to plan her funeral after being told she had a tumour.

Three weeks after surgery Staffordshire General Hospital informed her she did not have cancer, but had been suffering from kidney stones.

The trust which runs the hospital has apologised and admitted full liability for the mistake.

Mrs Appleton said she was devastated over the whole affair.

Funeral planned

"I was told I had cancer. They said I had a large tumour.

"I made a trip to visit my son in Blackpool as I didn't know if I would see him again. I planned my funeral."

She said she could not understand why it took three weeks after the operation to remove her kidney to inform her of the mistake.

"I was speechless when they told me.

"A mixture of emotions. I had expected to have been told how far the cancer had spread.

"I was relieved not to have cancer, but they could have told me earlier."

Appearance of cancer

In a statement, the Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust said: "The trust deeply regrets the shortfalls in Mrs Appleton's care and wishes to apologise for the distress this must have caused to her.

"Mrs Appleton was treated in accordance with the condition she was diagnosed with, but it subsequently transpired that this diagnosis was incorrect."

Dr John Gibson, medical director for the trust, told BBC Five Live what had happened.

"This particular scan was looked at by a number of doctors and it had the appearances on the scan of a cancer," he said.

"It was the nature of the stone and the consistency of the stone which didn't show up as a stone normally would.

"So that was why the mistake was made. And we do absolutely admit it. There was a mistake made."