Error led to death diagnosis

A woman was told that she was dying from lung cancer after doctors examined the wrong X- rays. Dorothy Cushing, 51, of Bridgwater, Somerset, underwent painful chemotherapy after the diagnosis at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, and arranged her funeral in the five months before she was told of the mistake.

The Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust apologised last night, blaming the confusion on 'human error'. A spokesman said the other patient was already being treated for cancer and when doctors saw the healthy X-rays they thought the machine was not working properly. Mrs Cushing has made a claim for compensation against the trust.