Harlow’s Princess Alexandra cancer patient feels ‘failed’ after not being properly diagnosed

He went to PAH A&E department on August 15 after suffering with blood in his urine, following 12 hours in A&E he was given a CT scan and taken to the Charnley Ward.

The father of two recalls, “I was in agony, I seriously thought I was going to die.

“I was given a hospital gown as I needed to remove my shorts and underwear.

“I removed the bottom of my clothing but was unable to cover my dignity and the curtains were left open.

Declan Greggain-Smith, 41 feels 'failed' after being left undiagnoised with kidney cancer.

“I was calling for pain relief and a nurse gave me a syringe of morphine- she didn’t however administer it, she just tossed the syringe on my chest for me to administer myself.”

The then doctor inserted a catheter in his penis and blood became to shoot out filling the bag.

Mr Greggain now knows the lining of his kidney had ruptured due to a 10cm tumour which was outgrowing its host.

On his first day at the Charnley Ward at around 11am, a registrar came to Mr Greggain’s bedside with two other junior doctors.

He greeted Mr Greggain and asked why he was in hospital, Mr Greggain said he had blood in his urine, and he had been told by one of the doctors that it is likely to be kidney stones.

The registrar informed him they had found a mass on his kidney and explained it was far more sinister and nastier.

He told Mr Greggain he needed a further CT scan of his lungs and asked if he had any questions before leaving his bed.

Mr Greggain said, “I didn’t know what he was saying, he used vague terms and ultimately Googled my own diagnosis.

“I was lying there alone, I called my wife and tried to relay the information to her, but I didn’t really know what I had been told.

“I had nurses warning me I should leave this hospital and find better care.”

After five days in hospital Mr Greggain had little information about his condition, he decided to get a private healthcare consultant and get discharged from PAH, he has since had the needed surgery and is now cancer free.

He continued: “I was extremely fortunate to be able to afford to go private.

“My private urologist carried out a private scan as he wanted to operate on me, I wasn’t prepared to wait for PAH to carry this out.

“My five days at PAH were perhaps the worst of my life, not only because I was ‘diagnosed’ with kidney cancer, but I don’t think I have felt less cared for in my life, I feel failed by the hospital.”

Mr Greggain has made a formal complaint.

In April, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found PAH A&E department to be ‘inadequate.’

Sharon McNally, director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust said: “We are extremely sorry to hear about Mr Greggain Smith’s concerns regarding his experience at our hospital.

“We are unable to comment on individual cases, however, we would encourage Mr Greggain Smith to contact our patient experience team.”