NHS settles after bowel cancer misdiagnosis killed mother of one; widower says "I would rather be poor"

Helen Dutton was 35 when a GP attributed her rectal bleeding and altered bowel habits to IBS and haemorrhoids. Two years later, a different GP referred her; stage 4 rectal cancer was confirmed. She died in August 2021, aged 40. Her partner Darren Rosheski settled with the NHS for an undisclosed sum in January 2026. The NHS did not admit liability. Rosheski said: "I would rather be poor."