Royal Cornwall Hospitals Paid £10.5m in Misdiagnosis Claims Since 2019

£10m Paid Out: What FOI Data Reveals About Cornwall Misdiagnosis Claims

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has paid out more than £10 million in damages linked to misdiagnosis-related medical negligence claims over the past six years, according to new data obtained through Freedom of Information requests.

The figures, gathered by Medical Negligence Assist, show that 96 misdiagnosis claims were lodged against the trust between the 2019/20 and 2024/25 financial years.

Of those, 84 cases were successfully settled. In total, the trust paid out £10,565,917 in compensation, which works out at an average of £125,832 for each successful claimant in Cornwall.

Yearly Breakdown of Claims

A closer look at the data shows a steady number of claims across the six year period, with compensation payouts peaking during the 2021/22 financial year.

The yearly figures for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust are as follows:

• 2019/20: 18 claims lodged, £841,584 paid
• 2020/21: 16 claims lodged, £1,456,928 paid
• 2021/22: 20 claims lodged, £3,479,824 paid
• 2022/23: 17 claims lodged, £1,215,680 paid
• 2023/24: 15 claims lodged, £2,581,407 paid
• 2024/25: 10 claims lodged, £994,494 paid

When compared with neighbouring counties in the South West, Cornwall’s compensation total is lower. Devon recorded £32,073,668 across 129 settled claims, while Somerset saw £18,104,050 paid out across 93 settled claims.

According to the analysis, this reflects a different scale of NHS trust operations in the region.

📷Infographic Copyright: Medical Negligence Assist

Calls for Action

Sophie Cope, a medical negligence solicitor at Medical Negligence Assist, said the figures should prompt action from health leaders.

“The figures highlight a deeply concerning trend that leaves patients paying the ultimate price,” she said. “We regularly see cases where a delay in diagnosis leads to devastating, life-altering consequences.”

The Human Cost of Misdiagnosis

Medical Negligence Assist also highlighted the case of Tracey McGrann, a mum-of-three from Birkenhead who died aged 54 in May 2024 following a missed diagnosis.

Months earlier, Tracey visited her GP with chest pains. An abnormal ECG resulted in an urgent instruction to attend A&E.

Despite being fearful of hospitals, she attended Arrowe Park Hospital where another ECG was carried out. Within minutes, doctors discharged her and told her everything was fine.

After her death from ischaemic heart disease, her daughter Leah discovered a photo on Tracey’s phone that had been taken of the ECG monitor before she was discharged. The image reportedly showed the message: “moderate T-wave abnormality, consider anterior ischemia”.

Leah later learned the ECG had never been signed off. With the hospital not keeping copies of ECG results, the photograph taken by Tracey became the only record.

“If they just looked at the ECG mum would’ve been on some pathway to receiving treatment. One director stated that if he was on duty that night, my mum would have been admitted,” Leah said.

“In the meeting my mum was reduced to a ‘mistake’. How many grieving family members haven’t investigated the death of a loved one and not caught that they died as a result of a misdiagnosis error?”

A £1.2 Billion National Picture

Across England, the scale of misdiagnosis claims is far larger.

Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, a total of 9,989 misdiagnosis claims were lodged against NHS trusts.

Of these, 7,500 were settled, costing the NHS £1,236,646,418 in damages. That represents an average payout of £164,886 per successful claimant.

The yearly national totals were recorded as:

• 2019/20: £170,678,198
• 2020/21: £123,333,640
• 2021/22: £205,156,280
• 2022/23: £240,921,060
• 2023/24: £230,627,373
• 2024/25: £265,929,667

While the number of claims dipped during the pandemic years, the data shows a rise since then, with 1,922 new claims lodged in the 2024/25 financial year alone, the highest level recorded during the six year period.

Medical Negligence Assist says it offers legal support and advice to people affected by misdiagnosis and provides free consultations through its 24 hour helpline.