Mother to Sue NHS After Six Years of Unnecessary Chemotherapy Treatment
A mother from Worcestershire is taking legal action against the NHS after enduring six-and-a-half years of gruelling chemotherapy that medical guidelines indicate she never required. Samantha Smith, 45, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in May 2014 and underwent surgery at University Hospital Coventry, but part of the tumour could not be removed.
Years of Unnecessary Treatment
Under the care of her consultant oncologist, Professor Ian Brown, Samantha was advised to undergo long-term chemotherapy alongside radiotherapy. Despite national guidelines recommending just six months of such drug treatment for her condition, she continued receiving it for over six years. It was only after Professor Brown retired that Samantha discovered the extended course was medically unnecessary.
The University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has acknowledged in correspondence that Samantha's treatment was "not in line with national guidelines" and was "not supported by scientific evidence." The trust has apologised for what it terms "excessive treatment" and confirmed an internal review is underway.
Life-Altering Consequences
Samantha, who lives with partner Mark and their three children in Bromsgrove, has been unable to work since her diagnosis and continues to suffer significant health consequences. She describes struggling with chronic fatigue, frequent infections, dental problems including rotting teeth, and limited mobility affecting her right leg and shoulder.
"Undergoing chemotherapy is a gruelling process and I've been very unwell for the best part of a decade," Samantha said. "I told myself it was all worth it to get better. So to find out that around six-and-a-half years of my treatment wasn't needed came as a huge shock."
She added: "I feel like that part of my life has been stolen from me, as I spent so long unable to function properly and just getting by day-to-day. All I want to do now is get some answers and help make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."
Wider Investigation and Systemic Changes
Professor Brown is now under investigation by the General Medical Council following revelations that another patient may have received over 14 years of unnecessary chemotherapy. The NHS trust has implemented new safeguards including limiting chemotherapy to six or twelve cycles for similar cases and requiring additional documentation from clinicians, nurses, and pharmacists at treatment outset.
Leanne Atkinson, the medical negligence lawyer representing Samantha, stated: "Samantha had every faith in what she was being advised, so to be told that more than six years of medication administered to her was completely unnecessary has left her devastated. It's also deeply worrying to hear that Samantha's case doesn't appear to be an isolated one."
Regular MRI scans eventually revealed in 2021 that Samantha's condition had remained stable for seven years, at which point she was advised to stop medication. The prolonged treatment period included the additional burden of monthly blood tests, medication collection, and pandemic-era precautions while experiencing significant illness.
