Why did our daughter have to die? The family’s grief after the death of a mother from cancer, misdiagnosed by a doctor after two years of training

A young woman who died of aggressive breast cancer earlier this year was misdiagnosed by a junior doctor, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

Colleen Howe, then 34 and eight months pregnant with her second child, thought she would see a doctor at her GP practice in Suffolk after discovering a lump in her right breast in August 2021.

But the Bury St Edmunds businesswoman was actually examined by a PA – an NHS worker trained for two years to help doctors and nurses with their daily tasks – who assured her it was simply “a blocked tube”. .

She was told to take paracetamol and come back if the lump got worse or persisted after delivery. Two months later she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and said the tumors had spread to her liver, pelvis and spine. She died in April this year.

The tragedy, revealed for the first time in the MoS’ Health Department today, comes amid growing fears that PAs are going far beyond their authority: treating patients unsupervised, carrying out risky procedures and flouting the rules to obtain illegal prescriptions to exhibit.

But the Bury St Edmunds businesswoman was actually examined by a PA – an NHS worker trained for two years to help doctors and nurses with their daily tasks – who assured her it was simply “a blocked tube”. . Shown: Stock Photo

The government plans to recruit thousands more PAs over the next decade to tackle severe NHS staff shortages, but more than 2,800 doctors overwhelmingly claim the move would put patient safety at risk.

Earlier this month, they also raised “serious concerns” about the lack of regulation for PAs in an open letter to the General Medical Council.

After Colleen’s death, an NHS investigation concluded that the advice she received from the PA was in line with official guidance.

However, the study also reported that GPs in practice said it was “usual practice” to arrange a follow-up visit within two weeks for a pregnant woman with a breast lump – but this was not the case.

“Before all this happened, we didn’t even know what an assistant was,” says Colleen’s mother, Catherine (60). “You just go with what you’re told, and Colleen thought she was getting advice from a doctor.

“We’re told the assistant who saw Colleen is devastated by what happened, but she’s not as devastated as we are.” We are so angry that we keep asking ourselves, “Why did this happen to our daughter?”

Dr Matt Kneale, co-chairman of the Association of Doctors UK – a company representing NHS doctors – said: “There is an urgent need for clear guidance and proper monitoring of PAs if we are to protect patients from harm.” an immediate pause in hiring until the regulations are in place.”