Cancer misdiagnosis and negligence claims

If you have received a cancer misdiagnosis or negligent cancer treatment, our medical negligence solicitors can help.

Start your no win no fee claim

Cancer care in the UK is generally of a very high standard. Unfortunately, mistakes can happen which may result in cancer being misdiagnosed or diagnosed late.

A delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of cancer can lead to:

a reduced life expectancy
a lower quality of life
missing out on important treatments

If your condition has got worse because of a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, you may be able to make a claim against NHS trust hospitals or private healthcare providers for compensation.

If you have any doubts about your cancer diagnosis, it’s important that you get a second opinion from a cancer specialist to confirm as soon as possible.

Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation and our experienced solicitors can help identify if you can make a claim.

Mesothelioma claims

If you developed cancer due to asbestos exposure, read our guide to mesothelioma claims.

How much will it cost to make a cancer negligence claim?

We offer a no win no fee agreement for cancer misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis claims. You won't have to pay any upfront costs, and you won’t pay any fees if your claim is unsuccessful.

If your claim is successful you will contribute towards your legal costs from the compensation you are awarded – this is usually capped at 33%. Your solicitor will be able to give you more information once we’ve discussed your case.

Compensation for cancer claims

The amount of compensation you could receive for a cancer claim will depend on:

the type of cancer you have (if it was misdiagnosed or diagnosed late)
if the negligence caused the cancer to become terminal
any psychological trauma you’ve suffered
the impact of the illness on your finances
whether you need further medical treatment
the long-term impact on your life and recovery time
the impact on your family

These factors, combined with the circumstances of your case and any impact on your life expectancy, will determine how much you can claim for. The more severe your case, the more substantial the compensation. We will always aim to get you the highest payout possible.

Read our cancer claim case studies for examples of compensation awarded.

Can I make a claim?

You may be able to make a cancer negligence claim if your condition got worse because of your treatment, or lack of treatment. This includes cases where you received a diagnosis that turned out not to be cancer.

After your GP refers you to check for cancer you should receive an appointment from an NHS hospital within 2 weeks and have the results within 28 days after the test.

It is important that cancer is diagnosed quickly so treatment can begin as soon as possible.

You might be able to make a cancer claim if:

your symptoms were diagnosed as another illness
your symptoms were missed altogether
test results were misinterpreted from scans, smear tests, or biopsies
the diagnosis was delayed or unclear
there was a delay in investigations, referrals and treatments
you were not urgently referred to a specialist
you feel your diagnosis wasn’t taken seriously
you were diagnosed by a non-cancer specialist
you believe there may have been other treatments available, or you received the wrong treatment
you were incorrectly given the ‘all clear’ that the cancer has gone

Our experienced cancer lawyers can help you understand the circumstances around your case. Once they have all the details, they’ll be able to tell you if you can make a claim.

When making a claim, we gather evidence to prove ‘breach of duty’ by a medical professional and ‘causation’ to show that that your health has been affected by their actions.

In most cases, you have 3 years to start a claim from the time the misdiagnosis was discovered. If you’re claiming for someone else these time limits may not apply.

Making a wrongful death claim

You might be able to make a wrongful death claim if a loved one died of cancer due to medical negligence.

Learn more about making a claim for wrongful death.

The cancer misdiagnosis and negligence claims process

Free initial assessment of your case

When you contact us, our specialist team will provide a free, no obligation assessment of your case.

Gathering evidence

If we take on your case, your medical negligence solicitor will gather the evidence and contact the person or organisation you are bringing a claim against (the defendant).

Expert reports

If the defendant does not admit fault, your solicitor will instruct independent experts to prepare reports on your case.

Valuing the claim

Your solicitor will work out how much compensation you should get based on the impact the negligence has had on your life.

Recovering compensation

Your solicitor will start negotiations with the defendant. The next steps will depend on the defendant’s response. If appropriate, they might seek to settle the claim at this stage.

Find out more about the medical negligence claims process.

They were very understanding and approachable and ensured that, at every point, we were updated. They worked tirelessly to ensure that no stone was left unturned and all avenues of exploration were dealt with swiftly and professionally
R.W., Manchester

Our values

As part of the Co-op Group, our values of openness, honesty, social responsibility and caring for others are core to the service we provide.

About Co-op Legal Services

As part of the largest Co-operative organisation in the UK, Co-op Legal Services works to ensure that our clients receive the best legal advice and support services available from our teams of personal injury and clinical negligence solicitors, legal executives and staff.

We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and several of our Personal Injury Solicitors are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).

Co-op Legal Services has over 800 staff working in different businesses with offices in Manchester, Bristol, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sheffield and London.