A teenage girl was left devastated after discovering her mother dead in bed just hours after she had spent an evening out with friends. Terry McGrann, 54, from Birkenhead, was found by her 16-year-old daughter, Alisha, on the morning of 26 May 2024. The teenager immediately contacted emergency services after realising her mother was unresponsive.
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The tragedy came only four months after the death of the girl’s father, who had died from complications linked to severe pneumonia. Just months before her death, the mother of three had sought medical advice after experiencing chest pains. In February 2024 she visited her GP and later attended St Catherine’s Health Centre, where she underwent an electrocardiogram (ECG).
Within days she received a text message advising her to attend A&E immediately, even if she was not experiencing symptoms. She subsequently went to Arrowe Park Hospital accompanied by a friend. Her daughter Leah later said that the visit had been a significant step for her mother, who had long feared hospitals.
“My mum was someone who was terrified of dying and extremely nervous about hospitals,” she said. “For her to go in the first place took a lot of courage.”
While at the emergency department, McGrann underwent another ECG. She photographed the result on her mobile phone before being discharged from hospital later that day.
Although the family were reassured at the time, they later discovered the ECG result had flagged a potential abnormality which, they believe, was not formally reviewed by medical staff.
Leah said the discovery came after she noticed a “memory” notification on her mother’s phone months after her death. The image appeared to show the ECG reading taken during the hospital visit.
According to Leah, the image included a note indicating a “moderate T-wave abnormality” and suggesting possible anterior ischaemia. After noticing the date on the photograph matched the day her mother had attended A&E, she began questioning whether the result had been properly assessed. Leah subsequently contacted a medical negligence solicitor, Rachel Donovan, from JF Law. A meeting was later held with representatives from Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Arrowe Park Hospital. During the discussion, Leah said she was shown documentation indicating that the ECG should have been electronically signed off but had not been.
She also questioned why her mother had been discharged shortly after the test. According to Leah, no clear explanation was provided. The family were further told that the hospital does not routinely retain copies of ECG results, meaning there was no internal record of the test. The photograph taken by McGrann herself was the only evidence of the reading.
The case comes as new data highlights the scale of misdiagnosis claims within the NHS. Figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests by Medical Negligence Assist show that NHS trusts in England have paid more than £1.2 billion in compensation for misdiagnosis-related claims over the past six years.
Between the financial years 2019/20 and 2024/25, a total of 9,989 claims were lodged against NHS trusts in England. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, claims had reached 1,824 in 2019/20. Numbers fell during the height of the pandemic, dropping to 1,516 in 2021/22, but have since risen again, reaching a six-year high of 1,922 new claims during the 2024/25 financial year.
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Of the claims filed during that period, around 7,500 were settled, meaning roughly three quarters of claimants received compensation. In total, more than £1.23 billion was paid out, with the average successful claim resulting in damages of approximately £164,886.
NHS Resolution, which manages claims on behalf of the health service, has cautioned that such figures cover a wide range of clinical conditions and incidents, some of which may have occurred years before a claim is made or resolved. It added that the data should not be interpreted as a direct comparison between NHS organisations, as trusts differ significantly in size and the services they provide.
