Ex-patients 'are being denied' legal information

FORMER patients whose bone marrow tumours were wrongly diagnosed at a Birmingham hospital during a period of eight years are being denied information about legal claims, solicitors said yesterday, writes Celia Hall.

At the same time, the South Birmingham Health Authority has admitted that there had been negligent misdiagnoses in four of the most serious cases.

But solicitors representing the patients accused the authority of being unhelpful. Stuart Henderson, chairman of the Co-ordinating Committee of Lawyers, said it was not volunteering the telephone number of the Law Society Helpline to patients identified as being misdiagnosed.

In a statement the committee adds: 'The health authority have chosen not to co-operate in ensuring that if any patients require legal advice they can be referred to suitable experienced solicitors.'

The lawyers also say the authority has refused to release the first report of the Clinical Review Committee set up to look into the misdiagnoses. It will only do so when all the cases have completed the review process which will not be before May.

The Law Society Helpline is on 021 643 9116.