ALMOST £10m in compensation has been paid out to patients at Barnsley Hospital who lodged official complaints having faced the trauma of being misdiagnosed.
According to a Freedom of Information request, a total of £9,567,894 has had to be dished out to 65 complainants since 2019/20.
This equates to an average compensation of £134,759 per successful claimant in Barnsley - the second-highest average payout in South Yorkshire.
Annual data reveals that compensation costs peaked during the 2021/22 financial year, while the volume of lodged claims reached its highest point in 2023/24.
Collectively, South Yorkshire trusts faced 365 lodged claims and paid out a combined £40,767,076 over the six-year period.
Sophie Cope, a solicitor at Medical Negligence Assist, urged health leaders to intervene.
“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.”
According to the British Medical Journal, one in 18 patients in primary and secondary care are affected by misdiagnosis.
It also found that misdiagnosed cancers, strokes and heart attacks were among the most serious cases, often leading to life-altering consequences or death.
Research indicates that misdiagnosis accounts for a significant proportion of medical negligence claims.
According to NHS Resolution, the body responsible for handling negligence claims against the NHS, diagnostic errors contribute to approximately 20 per cent of all clinical negligence claims.
A Barnsley Hospital spokesperson added: “We are committed to continuous improvement of the care we provide our patients, however we recognise there are rare situations when this does not meet the high standards we all expect.
“We work honestly and openly with patients to quickly understand any issues, and build learnings into our processes.
“We’re proud to provide safe and effective care and continue to take action to improve our services.”
During the same period, errors made while performing surgery at the hospital also resulted in more than £6.5m - from almost 100 claims - being paid out to impacted patients.
Medical negligence solicitor Gareth Lloyd said: “Misdiagnosis covers a wide range of clinical situations from the simple diagnosis of a fracture to potentially fatal cancer diagnoses.
“These cases can be a matter of life and death, and whether someone lives or dies will be determined by the success of the diagnosis.
“With an overstretched NHS, increasing patient numbers, and mounting pressures on staff, misdiagnoses are becoming alarmingly common.
“When healthcare professionals fail to diagnose an illness or injury correctly, patients can endure painful and potentially fatal consequences due to not receiving the right medical care and treatment.
“Misdiagnosis can have a huge impact on people’s lives - a common case of misdiagnosis is a scaphoid fracture, where typically someone uses their hands to break a fall.
“I’ve had a specific case in the past whereby a man in his early twenties suffered a fractured scaphoid that was initially diagnosed as a sprained wrist.
“As it went undiagnosed for a number of months, the client ended up having a fixation of his wrist, resulting in him not being able to use the hand and, as a consequence, has not been able to continue with his job.”
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