PAYOUTS given to women whose breast cancer was not spotted in a screening blunders scandal have been described as ‘a joke’.

A total of 14 women with an invasive form of the disease were misdiagnosed by a consultant radiologist working at Accrington Victoria Hospital Compensation payments for four women have now been paid out, and four more will be settled shortly. All are for £5,000.

The hospitals trust said it was working to make the rest of the payments as quickly as possible.

There has been anger at the low level of the payouts, which are set by the independent NHS Litigation Authority.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans described the compensation as ‘deficient’, saying that someone tripping on a pavement could win more.

While one of one of the victims, 53-year-old Letitia Newhouse, said the misdiagnosis was a ‘disgrace’ componded by the ‘insulting’ compensation.

The mum-of-two from of Sawley, had to undergo a mastectomy and was hospitalised during gruelling chemotherapy when her breast cancer was finally spotted.

Dr Glenn Anthony Kelly is alleged to have given the women the all-clear while working as a senior radiologist at Accrington Victoria Hospital.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has launched an investigation into the allegations and he has not worked at the trust since April 2009.

It was revealed in September 2009, that 355 mammograms had to be re-checked when colleagues raised concerns at the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

85 women had to undergo a second breast examination, and 14 were told they had invasive breast cancer.

Another four women were diagnosed with a secondary breast condition, ductal carcinoma in situ.

Some of those affected were from Blackburn and Darwen but the majority live in Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale and the Ribble Valley.

Peter Weller, the associate director of patient safety and governance, wrote to Mrs Newhouse to apologise.

He said: “I would like to express apologies on behalf of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust that the care you received was not of the standard expected.”

Mrs Newhouse said: “I will never be able to come to understand how many mistakes were made in my diagnosis.

“This has change my life and the stress has been unbearable. It was never about the money but £5,000 is an insult, a derogatory amount.”

Nigel Evans, Ribble Valley MP, said: “If £5,000 is typical of the compensation then clearly that is deficient, but there is no sum of money that would compensate women who have gone through complete trauma and fear for their lives through this misdiagnosis.

“The most important thing for the women involved is to make sure the mistakes made in these cases never happen again.

“People seem to get more for tripping on cracked pavements in other parts of the country than that, or for repetitive strain injuries, which run into thousands.

“You compare that to the removal of a breast and the fear that it was too late, which some women must have had.”

Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Graham Jones said: “There is no monetary value you can put on how traumatic it must have been for these individuals.

“One can only hope the NHS trust has resolved these issues and that people feel a lot more confident now they have been re-diagnosed and had a retest.”

Cancer survivor Mary Brennan, who helped set up the Barnoldswick and Earby Bosom Friends support group for cancer patients, said the figures being discussed were not high given what the women had endured.

Mary, 61, of Kelbrook Road, Barnoldswick, said: “It seems a small amount for what they have had to go through.

"But to be quite honest I don't think anything would be sufficient.

Lynn Wissett, deputy chief executive and director of clinical care and governance for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The Trust continues to work with the NHS Litigation Authority, patients and their legal representatives to conclude any claims that have been initiated.

“The Trust has apologised to all women affected by the breast screening incident, and remains committed to working with them to ensure any legal action is progressed swiftly and appropriately.”

Letitia Newhouse, a married mum-of-two, said that five opportunities were missed to spot her breast cancer.

Her GP at first turned her away before the cancer was then missed twice in appointments with Dr Kelly in 2006 as well as two other check-ups.

Only after she demanded a biopsy on the lump in her right breast was the cancer spotted, some seven months after she was first checked.

She underwent an mastectomy but then had to endure months of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

During her appointments with Dr Kelly she said that the cancer was not spotted on mamogramms.

She never had an ultrasound, which is standard procedure.

She said: “I was made to feel like a time waster but I knew something was wrong.

“Initially I was told that there was no tumour, I was told I had a blocked milk duct.

“When I forced them to do a biopsy they discovered that there was a tumour.

"It was 12cm long and it was in three of my lymph glands. I was traumatised.

“They said that it was the biggest you can get. It was awful.

“I have been told that the tumour was there to see on the momogramms in the first place.”

After nearly five years since her ordeal began she is still upset at her diagnosis, but emphasised that her treatment during her operations and chemotherapy had been ‘fantastic’.

She now works as a volunteer with the Rosemere Cancer Foundation.