An "urgent" MRI scan to check if a man's cancer had relapsed wasn't completed until 20 weeks after the request. The delay resulted in a situation that's "not survivable", the patient said.
The scan – when it eventually happened – showed cancer in the man's spine.
The incident began when a patient with a history of cancerous melanoma visited an orthopaedic surgeon at Te Whatu Ora Southern in late 2021. He had pain in his left leg.
"The doctor requested an urgent MRI scan to check for any relapse of cancer," a statement from the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) said today. "The accepted practice at the time was to receive an MRI scan within 31 days of the request.
"However, in the man's case, the scan was not completed until 20 weeks after it was requested.
"The scan showed metastatic cancer in the man's spine, which had caused spinal cord compression."
The patient hit out over the incident: "This delay meant further spread of the cancer through my spine and organs, resulting in the current situation whereby the cancer is now not survivable."
Te Whatu Ora accepted that it had breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights in the case.
The health agency agreed the delay indicated a "systemic failure".
Since the incident, Te Whatu Ora Southern has installed an additional MRI scanner at Dunedin Hospital, where the man was cared for.
The average wait time in March this year was 4-6 weeks for urgent scans, down from 15-20 weeks at the time of the incident, the health agency said. Te Whatu Ora Southern has also updated its radiology referrals management policy and it is working with the Cancer Control Agency on a "digital solution" to improve its tracking of cancer patients' progress.
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell recommended Te Whatu Ora Southern provide a written apology to the man.
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