A BRAIN haemorrhage victim who was wrongly told she was suffering from meningitis has won a two-year battle for an independent inquiry into her case.

Katrina Rees, 49, has also received a written apology from hospital bosses who have introduced changes in CT scan procedure at Blackburn Infirmary as a result of the complaint.

Mrs Rees, whose husband Brian is a Burnley firefighter, spent ten days in the infirmary after she collapsed at her home in Openshaw Drive, Blackburn, in November 1995.

A consultant told her she was suffering from viral meningitis, but the day after she was discharged she collapsed again and was taken back to the hospital. She was later transferred to Royal Preston Hospital where she underwent surgery for a brain haemorrhage.

Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust has written to Mrs Rees to apologise for the "inaccurate diagnosis" and has introduced new guidelines for medical staff in relation to the operation of CT scans.

The trust has agreed that CT scans will be performed if lumbar punctures, which are normally performed on suspected meningitis victims, show any sign of blood.

A scan will also be offered to meningitis patients who are not recovering as quickly as they should. Mrs Rees, a financial assistant at Groundwork in Blackburn, and her husband Brian are determined to find out why she was not offered a CT scan when she was first admitted to the infirmary.

Mr Rees said: "We are pleased that we are going to get the independent inquiry, but we still want answers.

"We have had an apology and an admission that the wrong diagnosis was made, but that is not enough.

"Thankfully my wife has made a remarkable recovery. But I wonder how many other people have had similar experiences and not been offered CT scans.

"Katrina was suffering with severe headaches and we kept asking for a brain scan. We want to know why she was not given one."

Mrs Rees came through the brain operation and also spent six weeks on the stroke rehabilitation ward at Park Lee Hospital, Blackburn.

Trust chief executive John Thomas said: "I can confirm that in the trust's response to this complaint, it was accepted that an inaccurate diagnosis had been made."

"Doctors make a clinical judgement based on the symptoms and decide on the balance of probabilities what the illness is.

"Most of the time doctors make a correct diagnosis. Occasionally they can make an inaccurate diagnosis.

"When this happens, it is important that the doctors learn from that and take steps to improve clinical protocols where appropriate."

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