An NHS worker claims she has had to fork out £32,000 for private healthcare after doctors missed signs she’d had a stroke.
Ann Smith, who works at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), says staff at the site linked numbness in her right leg to spinal stenosis, a condition causing narrowing of the spinal canal.
It was only when she had been off work for seven months with “horrific” back pain, waiting for an ultrasound-guided injection into her spine, that she went to get a second opinion.
She says doctors at Spire Healthcare, a private hospital, discovered three small bleeds on her brain and confirmed her symptoms were likely to have been from a stroke rather than spinal stenosis.
MISDIAGNOSIS
In November 2023, Mrs Smith was rushed to the NNUH's A&E department by her partner, Paul Smith, as she couldn't get out of bed due to numbness in her leg.
Staff referred Mrs Smith, who works as a senior clinical endoscopist at the NNUH, for an MRI scan at the hospital's outpatients unit, and she was diagnosed with spinal stenosis a month later.
The 73-year-old, who lives in NR3 and has worked for the NHS for 26 years, claims the doctor who diagnosed her said the waiting list for surgery was "too long" and there was "nothing they could do".
In May 2024, Mrs Smith saw a private doctor at Spire Healthcare who was “convinced” the numbness in her leg was not related to the back pain.
She said: "At this point, I had been off work for seven months.
“I couldn’t carry on going the way I was.
"The private doctor booked a head-to-toe MRI to check everything else was okay.
"They found three small bleeds on the brain and said I'd had a stroke.
"I was due to have surgery on my back, but this had to be postponed until a month later."
Mrs Smith added years on she still has no feeling in her right leg.
NNUH RESPONDS
Mrs Smith says she has "always trusted" the NHS, however has decided to leave her job after a nightmare three years.
She said: "I feel they have let me down massively.
"The NHS should have investigated the problem further.
“I love my job, I really want to go back to it, but I don’t want to give them another minute of my time.
“I won’t risk damaging my back anymore.”
Lucy Weavers, interim chief nurse at NNUH, said: “We are sorry to hear that Mrs Smith is dissatisfied with the care she received while in our hospital.
"Patient safety and the quality of care we provide remain our priorities.
"We would encourage Mrs Smith to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) so that we can discuss her concerns in more detail and provide a fuller response.
"We thank Mrs Smith for her contribution to the NHS.”
SIGNS OF A STROKE
A stroke is a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain, which can lead to brain damage and other serious complications.
There are two main types: an ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage in a blood vessel, and a hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain.
Stroke signs often come on suddenly and include face drooping, arm weakness, and slurred or confused speech.
Other warning signs include numbness or weakness on one side, vision problems, dizziness or loss of balance and a severe headache.
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