A GP has admitted it was a mistake not to perform a physical examination on a patient who later died from cancer.

Susan Lanchester, from East Harling, passed away last year from an aggressive form of cancer diagnosed shortly before her death. She was 65 years old.

An inquest into her death heard that Mrs Lanchester had a long history of vomiting, nausea and swallowing difficulties, for which she had undergone extensive tests.

These tests had not, however, revealed any physical cause for her condition.

Throughout 2023, she attended her medical centre on a number of occasions as her struggles continued.

She was seen on more than one occasion by Vivek Parbhakar, a locum GP who was working for East Harling Surgery at the time, and complained of struggles sleeping and anxiety.

Giving evidence, Dr Parbhakar told the court that having seen previous tests, he decided the best course of action would be to try and treat her psychological symptoms in the hopes this would improve her physical condition.

The court heard that between February and June she had lost six kilograms in weight, but Dr Parbhakar did not perform physical examinations of her body at any appointments.

It was not until another locum GP, Angela Musso, examined her in August that a mass was found in her stomach which turned out to be cancerous.

Dr Parbhakar said: "In that moment it seemed like she was making improvements, but with hindsight, it was a significant weight loss and I should have examined her.

"I admit that this was an error on my part in hindsight."

Dr Tom Roques, a clinical oncologist from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said that earlier detection would have allowed her to have received palliative treatment, but that it would not have prevented her death.

Johanna Thompson, assistant coroner for Norfolk, concluded Mrs Lanchester's death on November 6 was from natural causes.

 

Husband's anger

During the inquest, her husband Bernard Lanchester spoke of his anger that the GP surgery had not performed physical examinations on her sooner.

In a statement, he told the court he had met her when she was 15 years old and they had been together ever since.

He said she had experienced difficulties with swallowing food for the best part of 25 years.

He said: "Had the doctors examined her it could have been picked up earlier and increased her changes.

"There were problems with her care that need to be addressed.

"It felt like it was only the last locum doctor that did the job properly and now I have lost my lovely wife."