Man awarded £20K from NHS after doctors got diagnosis horribly wrong

A man has been awarded £20,000 compensation from an NHS trust after he was misdiagnosed by doctors who thought the tumour in his chest was a cyst.

Lee Bull, 57, first went to his doctorin 2002 when he found a lump in his right breast. Doctors diagnosed it as a cyst, and he had a minor operation to remove the lump. Then in 2014, he noticed the lump started to grow again, so Lee went back to his GP.

They told him he had a keloid scar - a type of raised scar that grows beyond the original boundaries of a wound - and he received steroid injections every six weeks for a few years.

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In 2022, Lee was still concerned about the lump in his chest, so he went back to the doctor, who diagnosed him with neurofibroma - a tumour that grows on the nerve tissue.

He then underwent an operation to remove the tumour in August 2022, which was successful. After he had recovered, Lee sued the Barts Health NHS Trust for negligence and received a £20k payout and a formal apology in October 2024. Lee, a HGV driver, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said: "When I was told I had a tumour, I was so shocked.

"I had been going to the doctors for years; this could have been cut out so long ago. I was shocked and disappointed. I felt so let down by the NHS.

"Every time I look in the mirror, I am traumatised. I have a disfigurement on my chest. I can't go swimming. I can't take my top off. I have been mentally scarred by what has happened."

Lee sought help when the lump grew back in 2014 and was "growing and it was getting itchy". While under the treatment of The Royal London Hospital, he noticed more smaller lumps appearing on his chest, so he went to see a specialist at the hospital.

He claims doctors told him that the lumps and itchiness were being caused by the keloid scar. Lee said: "A nurse saw me, told me I was going to be continuing with Kenalog injections to help break down the scar tissue."

In July 2022, Lee went for a check-up and a doctor said the lump was caused by a neurofibroma - a tumour that grows on the nerve tissue. He said: "I was so shocked, he said that I had to go straight for an operation to get it removed.

"I was getting injections every six weeks, and I was confused why this had not been found sooner. I felt disappointed by the hospital; I was let down by them."

After he recovered from surgery, Lee sued the Barts Health NHS Trust for negligence and received a £20k payout and a formal apology.

In the letter, the NHS "accepts liability" and is "very sorry for the shortcomings in care provided to Mr Bull" and they "sincerely apologise for the poor care".

The NHS have admitted there was a "failure to recognise Mr Bull's neurofibroma tumour". Lee said: "I don't think the payment is enough for all the trauma I have gone through.

"I was going to the doctors for 20 years with problems, I do not understand why this was not found sooner."

A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS trust said: “We sincerely apologise for failures in Mr Bull's care and that his experience did not meet our high standards."