Tayside health chiefs have been told they should pay compensation to a Perth grandfather they mistakenly told had just months to live.
Tam Young and his family spent weeks preparing for the worst, after doctors failed to tell them that tests had shown he was free of cancer.
It was not until the 58-year-old suffered from chest pains and required a visit from his GP that he learned the truth.
However, despite being given the all clear, he is still tortured by a fear of dying and his days are blighted by the dark thought that each could be his last.
Scotland Patients Association has described the situation as “totally unacceptable” and demanded compensation for the family. It also wants the family to be given the opportunity to get a second opinion to allay their fears, no matter the cost to NHS Tayside.
Chairwoman Margaret Watt said “no patient” should be put through such stress.
“The minute doctors discovered that this man didn’t have cancer, they had a duty of care to tell him and his family,” she said.
“They should be made to pay compensation to him because they have put him through hell. I doubt that he will ever accept that he’s not dying and will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life that is no way for anyone to live.
“This will crucify him and his family mentally because they will not know what is actually the truth.”
The nightmare scenario began in June last year when Mr Young was sent for an ultrasound scan at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee after complaining of feeling unwell.
His wife Jean, who has been her husband’s carer since he suffered a stroke in 1997, said: “The doctor there said the results suggested there was an aggressive tumour present.
“Tam then spent a week in Perth Royal Infirmary undergoing lots of tests and they still came back saying he had cancer of the liver.
“They told him that he only had a couple of months to live and wouldn’t see Christmas.”
She revealed the initial scan results were passed on to a consultant who diagnosed Caroli disease a non-life-threatening condition that affects the bile ducts.
Unfortunately, Mr Young was not told about this for another three months, by which time he and his family had already prepared for the worst.
His daughter Laura, who has a four-year-old son, even organised an anniversary party for her parents, which doubled up as an opportunity for people to say farewell.
Mrs Young said: “It was a really sad affair and people had come from all over to be there. They played Daydream Believer by the Monkees a song that is really close to our hearts and everyone was in tears.”
The truth about Mr Young’s misdiagnosis finally came out in October when he began complaining of crushing chest pains.
Terrified that this was the beginning of the end, his family called out their GP and asked if this was a sign that his tumour was starting to take his life.
They were left shocked and angered when she told them the staggering news that he was not actually dying and that his earlier tests had come back clear.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “We have apologised to Mr Young and his family for the delay in communicating the correct diagnosis to him. The doctor involved has also met with the family and given his personal apologies.”
The Young family said that, while they appreciate the apology, they feel it “isn’t good enough” and are preparing to launch legal action against the health authority.
“If Tam hadn’t needed to see our doctor, we would never have known that he didn’t have cancer,” Mrs Young said. “We found out just by chance and it’s just not good enough because, not only were we expecting to lose him, but he is still convinced that a mistake might have been made.
“There’s not a day goes by when he doesn’t worry about it and it’s completely changed him his moods are up and down and he just doesn’t know what to think any more.
“This is why I want people to know about what’s happened to us and why I’m taking it further. They’ve said sorry, but it isn’t good enough for what we have been put through and how it has affected our family.”