A CANCER patient who was told his illness was terminal, when it wasn’t, was refused a second opinion by the Mid Essex Hospital NHS Trust.

A report, published this week by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, showed the man, known as Mr R, was instead offered palliative chemotherapy. After arranging his own second opinion at a private hospital, he was told his condition was operable.

The report by the Ombudsman investigated complaints about the NHS in England between April and June.

Mr R returned to request an operation, but was asked by the trust for an additional test. He eventually arranged to have successful surgery at a different NHS hospital, and Mid Essex refunded the £12,000 the man paid for the private consultation.

Another case involving the Mid Essex Trust, which operates from Broomfield Hospital, failed to diagnose a man’s hip fracture, instead treating him with pain relief. The pain continued and the trust then readmitted MrBand gave him a half hip replacement, which failed, then a full hip replacement.

He died “months” after the second operation, though the report states their findings didn’t link the man’s death with the delay in diagnosis.

The trust was this month highlighted as one of the most improved in the county for the care of its cancer patients after a recent National Cancer Patient Survey.

No-one was available from the trust to comment.

Julie Mellor, from the Ombudsman, said: “We hope this gives people the confidence to come to us to complain and shows how complaining makes a positive difference to the complainant and public services.”