‘Devastating’ misdiagnosis

Posted: October 19, 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence NHS Claims 

A man who was misdiagnosed with dementia has received an apology from an NHS trust after tests showed him to be clear of the condition three years after diagnosis.  71-year-old Leighton Peacock was given a scan in 2011, which showed him to be suffering with dementia.  However, over the years following the diagnosis, Mr Peacock did not deteriorate in the way doctors expected him to.

The clinical director for dementia at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Vicky Brown, said she was deeply apologetic for the distress caused by the hospital’s misdiagnosis.  Mr Peacock’s wife, Valerie Peacock, said that the diagnosis in 2011 had a truly “devastating” effect on the family.  She said that doctors had told them to prepare for an increasingly difficult future with his condition.

Started to plan to sell the house

Dr Brown said that the tests for Mr Peacock’s dementia were not straightforward.  She said that even though testing is normally very accurate for the condition, it couldn’t always be 100% precise.

Mrs Peacock said that the family had started to plan to sell the house and had made drastic changes to the plans for their golden wedding anniversary with fears that he would not be able to cope.  She also said that the way she treated her husband had greatly changed over the last few years, as she feared that his condition was making him less capable of carrying out daily tasks.

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