Smethwick nurse 'failed' over her cancer treatment

A nurse with terminal cervical cancer says she has been "failed" by the NHS over her treatment.

Claire Elliott, from Bearwood in Smethwick, said a clinical trial with a life-extending drug was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said she was disappointed to have missed out on treatment that may have given her a "cancer-free life".

NHS England said it would not comment on individual cases and Mrs Elliot can make an individual funding request.

However, Mrs Elliott said she had made a request which had since been rejected, because she was not a special case.

"Obviously the NHS has failed me on several occasions, not just professionally in my career, but on a personal basis with missing out on not having the treatment I should have had, which would have given me a cancer-free life."

Mrs Elliott said it took 11 months for her cancer to be diagnosed and claimed her chemotherapy treatment then shrunk the tumour, but delays in having a hysterectomy meant the tumour had re-grown and the surgery was not possible.

She was then offered a drug trial at Bristol Royal Infirmary, but it was cancelled earlier this year after the pandemic started, she said.

Pembrolizumab works by boosting a patient's own immune system to fight the cancer cells, Cancer Research UK said.

But, although it is used to treat a variety of cancers in the UK, it is not yet cleared for use against cervical cancer.

"To me it's quite woeful that it's been used successfully in America for three years and they still haven't started any trials with NICE and the medical health regulatory authority in this country," Mrs Elliott said.

"It's only just gone for a consultation."

Now, her family and friends are hoping to raise £120,000 to privately fund the potentially life-extending treatment.

Mrs Elliott, a life-long Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, has launched a Wolves-inspired memorabilia raffle after a fundraising event at Molineux, had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

Lawyers for Mrs Elliott are also appealing the NHS' decision not to fund it.

Mary Smith from Novum Law said she had seen numerous treatments and trials stopped during the pandemic, describing it as "an awful awful time to be a cancer patient".

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