A man who was wrongly diagnosed with leukaemia and told that he had just one year to live has won £175,000 in medical negligence compensation from Basildon Hospital.
It transpired that Anthony Moore, 46, was actually suffering from a form of nerve damage that was thought to have been caused by drugs he was given by the hospital for suspected MRSA.
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The former engineer claimed that he suffered from psychological damage after the incorrect diagnosis, and nerve damage that left him unable to work. He had been prescribed Linezolid, a drug used to treat MRSA, after being admitted to hospital with an infected wound. Five days later he was re-admitted with severe anaemia, low haemoglobin levels and swelling.
At this point he was diagnosed with leukaemia and told that he was unlikely to survive more than 12 months. However, further tests showed that he was actually suffering from peripheral neuropathy – a condition believed to have been brought on by ‘prolonged and unmonitored’ use of Linezolid.
Mr Moore suffered from nerve damage to his arms and legs and nerve palsy in his left knee. The damage meant that he could no longer walk normally and led him to fall over frequently. He could no longer climb ladders without difficulty, which meant that he couldn’t work as an engineer. The symptoms are likely to be permanent, and the damage to his knee means that he may have to have further surgery, possibly even an amputation above the knee.
The compensation was given as an out of court settlement, and Basildon Hospital declined to comment, but Mr Moore’s injury solicitor said that liability had not been disputed and that Mr Moore had claimed that the hospital had been negligent in prescribing Linezolid when he did not have MRSA – and also for failing to monitor blood results weekly in accordance with national guidelines.