In 2016, 70 year old Jenny Scott went to see a respiratory specialist after dealing with a cough that would not go away. She had an upcoming cruise planned for September and wanted reassurance before leaving, especially since her sister had died from cancer and the thought was already on her mind.
According to what Jenny later told friends, Dr. David Barnes told her it was “99.9% not cancer.” He ordered tests anyway but said she was fit to travel, leaving her with the impression that the cough was likely noncontagious tuberculosis that could be treated once she returned home.
Jenny left on her cruise believing she would deal with the issue later. While she was already at sea, test results came back on October 6, 2016, showing that she had “incurable” lung cancer.
Dr. Barnes chose not to contact her with the results while she was on vacation. Instead, he planned to tell her at a scheduled appointment the day after she returned, even though that meant waiting about a week after receiving the diagnosis.
Things took a sudden turn only days later. Jenny became seriously ill while still on the cruise ship and was hospitalized onboard, far from home and family.
Doctors overseas were the ones who ultimately told her she had lung cancer. When her family tried to bring her back to Sydney so she could die where she wanted, they were told there were no available ICU beds to admit her.
After frantic efforts, the family contacted the Lung Cancer Foundation, which helped secure a bed at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse cancer hospital. Jenny was transferred there on October 20, 2016, and was able to say goodbye to loved ones before dying later that same day.
Her daughter, Tania, later filed a complaint against Dr. Barnes, calling his decision to delay telling her mother “paternalistic.” Australia’s Health Care Complaints Commission reviewed the case but decided not to take disciplinary action.
In his submission, Dr. Barnes said: “My decision to refrain from contacting Mrs Scott whilst on holidays was a compassionate decision, to allow her to complete the cruise in circumstances where intervention would have made no significant difference to her ultimate outcome.”
Tania disagreed, believing her mother would have come home immediately, and that her final days would not have been so devastating and heartbreaking.
