A dad has been left traumatised after undergoing seven years of unnecessary treatment at Nuneaton’s hospital for a condition he didn’t have.
Simon Pearson from Tamworth was wrongly diagnosed by the George Eliot Hospital with polycythaemia vera, a chronic and slow-growing blood cancer which the dad-of-two had been told was terminal.
He had been referred to the ‘Eliot with tiredness, a high red blood cell count and abnormal iron levels in 2017.
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Following his initial diagnosis, he was further misdiagnosed with haemochromatosis, a genetic disorder which causes the body to store toxic amounts of iron which can cause organ damage.
This led him to fear he had terminal blood cancer and underwent more than 40 inappropriate procedures to remove blood from his body.
It was more than seven years later, when a nurse raised concerns about Simon’s condition during a routine appointment in June 2025..
Tests then revealed he had none of the conditions he had been diagnosed with.
After bringing in expert medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, the George Eliot Trust admitted a breach of duty in terms of misdiagnosing Simon’s conditions. The Trust admitted that, with appropriate care, it was likely Simon would have avoided 42 procedures he underwent between 2017 and 2025 to take blood from his body.
‘Lie awake at night terrified’
The 41-year-old, who confessed to being needle phobic, has spoken about the trauma he suffered as a result of the misdiagnosis and the impact not only on his life, but that of his family.
“For years I was in and out of hospital, believing I had a condition that could eventually kill me – sometimes lying awake all night, terrified,” he said.
“There was also the fear that it was genetic and something I could pass on to my children. I felt so guilty and constantly worried about their future.
“I had no reason to dispute anything that I was told and put my trust in the doctors. Then to be suddenly told I may not have any of the conditions came as a complete shock.”
He added: “I keep asking myself how could this have gone on for so long? I still can’t quite believe how care I didn’t need went on for so long. Throughout that time I suffered from side effects including headaches and fatigue. My quality of life and ability to work were affected, and I struggled to provide for my family.
“I’m still struggling to come to terms with the fact it was all a mistake. At times, it feels like I’ve lost my sense of reality.
“I’ve always had a real phobia of needles, so repeatedly having blood taken from me was traumatic.”
He added: “I want to share my story to raise awareness in the hope that something is done to improve care standards. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’ve been through.”
Victoria Zinzan, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Simon, added: “Simon spent years believing he was living with a serious and potentially life-limiting illness, undergoing repeated and inappropriate hospital procedures, which caused him harm.
“The past few years have taken a significant financial, physical and emotional toll on Simon who remains shocked and upset at what he’s had to endure.
“Although nothing can make up for what he’s been through, we welcome the Hospital Trust’s early admission of liability and are now working with the Trust to ensure Simon has access to the support he requires to try and move forward with his life.
“However, worrying failings have been identified in Simon’s care and it’s vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety.”
George Eliot Hospital statement
In a statement, Dr Naj Rashid, Chief Medical Officer for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, said: “I would like to offer our sincere apologies to Mr Pearson for the failings in the care he received from us.
“Mr Pearson’s care had undoubtedly fallen below our usually high standards and caused significant distress to him. We are working with him to ensure he has our full support going forward.
“The Trust has carried out a thorough investigation into what went wrong and have put in place actions to address issues identified to ensure this is not able to happen again.”
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