NORTH CUMBRIA'S NHS trust has apologised to patients who have affected by mistakes in its radiology departments as new data reveals it paid out nearly £200,000 in compensation to patients.
Freedom of Information Requests (FOI) reveal that North Cumbria Integrated Care has paid £198,383 in compensation to six claimants over radiology mistakes since 2020. The largest annual payment was seen in 2022/23.
Radiology staff use images to diagnose and treat medical conditions and diseases, using techniques such as: X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
Mistakes, which can be caused by the growing pressures on NHS staff, can lead to a deterioration in the condition of patients.
A spokesperson for NCIC told the News & Star that it is sorry "to anyone who has been affected by incidents that have resulted in a claim."
They said: "We recognise the impact these situations can have on patients and families, and we take every case seriously. When compared with similar organisations, NCIC remains comparatively low in the number of claims linked to radiology."
NCIC is responsible for services at West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle as well as community services across North Cumbria.
The spokesperson said: "Radiology, like many clinical services across the NHS, continues to experience high levels of demand. We have ongoing programmes of work to support staff, strengthen processes, and ensure we continue to provide safe, high‑quality care for our patients."
Negligence claims related to radiology have risen across the NHS by 30 per cent in the last decade.
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FOIs submitted to NHS Resolution reveal that across the country, 2,163 radiology error claims have been made against trusts since 2020.
The data, obtained by Medical Negligence Assist reveals that 1,520 were settled with compensation payments amounting to £231.7 million.
Unnecessary pain was the most common cause of negligence claims nationally, with 261 such cases recorded between 2020 and 2025.
Claimants won £10,589,956 in legal battles related to unnecessary pain, following radiology mistakes.
Sophie Cope, medical negligence solicitor for JF Law said: "Radiology errors can often lead to missed fractures, undiagnosed cancers or serious conditions being mistaken for something minor and these mistakes can have life-changing consequences.
"Some errors may result in additional pain and suffering, prolonged illness, the need for more invasive treatment or prolonged recovery, and other errors can be catastrophic.
"Many of these errors are avoidable. When a patient is harmed because standards have fallen short, they have every right to question what went wrong."
Ms Cope suggested that patients seek legal advice if they believe they have come to harm due to a radiology error.
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