£10,000 award for wrong diagnosis

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A hospital has paid out £10,000 compensation after misdiagnosing a Derbyshire woman with cancer.

For years Janice Grace - who survived breast cancer - wrongly thought she was dying of bone cancer.

She died following a fall at home in 2000 but her family believes her treatment might have been a cause.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust sent its condolences to the family but said the payment did not involve admitting blame.

The compensation arrangement was settled before the case went to court.

Mark Dickinson wants answers over his mother's death

Janice Grace's son, Mark Dickinson, said: "I couldn't believe it. We'd had years, literally four years, of thinking 'my mum's dying of cancer'. And then we had the final tragedy where it happened and then we found out - she didn't!"

Ms Grace got drunk on her 50th birthday, afraid it might be her last, and fell down the stairs fracturing her ribs.

The injuries led to her death but the family think the wrong cancer diagnosis may also have been a factor.

"Different medical experts have expressed slightly different views as to whether she would have died as a result of the fall or not," said her son.

"What they've all admitted is that treatment could have been different and would have been different had the diagnosis of cancer not been made."