The BBC News and Independent News have recently reported that a grieving daughter, Chloe Hickman, 24, launched a petition urging the government to implement “Louise’s Law”, named after her late mother’s name Louise Hickman, which would require mandatory second opinions on benign cancer diagnoses within the NHS. The petition has received more than £40,000 signatures so far.
Louise Hickman, 47, passed away in June 2023 from ovarian cancer, 5 years after consultants at Ipswich Hospital initially concluded her tumour was benign. In April 2022, she was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and underwent surgery and chemotherapy to remove two fluid-filled sacs weighting 11 and 19 litres each. Chloe believes that if her mother’s cancer was correctly diagnosed as malignant in 2019, she could have been provided with chemotherapy and/or surgery could have been brought forward, and she might still be alive today.
The current NHS guidelines afford patients the right to seek a second opinion, but this is not a legal requirement. In contrast, “Louise’s Law” would make it mandatory for benign test results to be reviewed by specialist with an attempt to prevent any similar tragedies experienced by Hickman family in the future. Second opinions could help reassure patients or potentially give them different treatments to choose from.
There was a similar case involving a 14 year-old, Martha Mills, who died of septic shock and an introduction of “Martha’s Rule”, named after the deceased, to afford patients and families the legal right to seek an urgent review or second opinion when the patients’ conditions are deteriorating and they feel their concerns are not being addressed. Cancer Support Suffolk said patients should "keep pushing" for a second opinion if they were "not happy with the response".
According to figures gathered by Cancer Research UK between 2017 and 2019, there are around 4,100 ovarian cancer deaths in the UK every year. If you believe that yourself or a loved one has suffered an injury or death due to the negligence of a medical or health professional then we may be able to help you pursue a claim for compensation. Our leading team of experts are on hand to offer advice, so please get in touch with us on 0161 696 6165 or complete our online enquiry form and we will contact you directly.
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