A former Church of England assistant minister, whose brain tumour was left unattended for three years, is to receive a substantial out of court settlement for undiagnosed brain tumour compensation.
Adrian Underwood, 42, from Birmingham, had been particapting in a theology course in Nottingham in 2001, when he started to suffer severe headaches. He was sent to Nottingham University Hospital, where he underwent a brain scan which revealed a growth inside his skull, but no further action was taken and Adrian was discharged – being told he had nothing more serious than a migraine.
Adrian was unable to complete his course – moving back to Birmingham to take the position of a curate. However, his health continued to worsen, and it was during a medical investigation in 2004 to determine why Adrian was losing his sight that the much enlarged brain tumour was noticed after a scan at Birmingham Eye Hospital.
An emergency operation removed a tumour the size of a lemon, which had forced down on Adrian’s brain and formed a lump in his head. Adrian now suffers from regular fatigue and epilepsy due to this oversight – medical conditions which could have been avoided if the tumour had been removed after the initial scan.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust acceped liability but did not add any further comment.