Repeated failures in how CTs, X-rays and other medical scans are being interpreted are leading to avoidable patient deaths and delays in diagnosing cancer, England’s health ombudsman has warned.

Repeated failures in how CTs, X-rays and other medical scans are being interpreted are leading to avoidable patient deaths and delays in diagnosing cancer, England’s health ombudsman has warned.

The most common problems include doctors failing to spot abnormalities, scans being delayed or not carried out, and results not being followed up properly.

The ombudsman has upheld or partially upheld 45 cases which include failures in medical imaging in the last four years, and says lessons must be learned to avoid the same mistakes again.

NHS England said staff work extremely hard to keep patients safe but acknowledged there was more to do to improve the “response to serious health issues”.

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