Cancer woman welcomes GP suspension

A mother from Smethwick whose breast cancer spread undetected for more than a year despite nine visits to her GP has welcomed the suspension handed to the doctor.

Emma Southall, aged 34, saw her GP, Dr Hany Sadek Fahmy Hanna, at Oldbury Medical Practice three times complaining of a lump in her breast, but no examination was undertaken or referral made.

By the time she was properly diagnosed, Mrs Southall's cancer had spread to her neck, and she had to undergo gruelling surgery and treatment. She has now been told her life expectancy has significantly reduced.

At a General Medical Council fitness to practice hearing, the council suspended Dr Hanna for four months, due to his misconduct. Mrs Southall said: "I am happy that he was suspended, because I trusted my doctor, I trusted that what he said was right. But in reality it doesn't change anything. I still have cancer."

Mrs Southall, of Mansion Crescent, first went to the doctors in October 2008 after finding a lump in her breast but was told it was probably a virus. She said: "Back then I wasn't too worried, because it didn't hurt and it was only very small." She went back to the doctors on a number of occasions, but was again told not to worry.

By the autumn of 2009 she started to feel very unwell. The learning support assistant said: "I was in a lot of pain. I had also started to get small lumps in my neck as well as my breast." Over a ten-day period, Mrs Southall went to see Dr Hanna on three occasions.

He did not examine her and no referral was made. It was only after a visit to a physiotherapist that she was referred to a breast clinic.

The mum to Zac, 14, and Bryony eight, said: "I never thought it could be cancer.

"I thought there was something wrong, but I never thought it would be something like that."

Mrs Southall underwent six months of chemotherapy, and also had radiotherapy. She has had a mastectomy and had an operation to remove her ovaries. She added: "The hardest thing to cope with has been the news that my life expectancy has been significantly reduced."

Mrs Southall said she has now completed the bulk of her treatment.