Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme settlement obtained less than three months after diagnosis

Mrs L, a Suffolk lady in her early 70s, was diagnosed with mesothelioma recently having gone to hospital for tests to see whether she had a problem with her statins. She instructed Ashtons on her legal claim very soon after being diagnosed.

Mrs L’s exposure to asbestos can be traced to her time working for a local tailor in Bury St Edmunds in the 1960s. She used to sew directly on to a flat non-wooden surface which is believed to have been asbestos insulating board. She also recalls the working environment being dusty clearly and clearly remembers being told “tailors do not live to a very old age due to bad lungs”.

We investigated whether a claim could be brought against her former employers T W Parkington & Son Ltd but the business no longer exists and there was no evidence of insurers for the period when Mrs L was employed there. The claim therefore went ahead as a Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DPMS) application.

This scheme was introduced in 2014 to enable mesothelioma sufferers to claim a lump sum payment from the Government if the negligent former employer is no longer trading and its insurers cannot be traced.

Mrs L has now received her payment within three months of first consulting Ashtons. Phoebe Osborne comments:

“While mesothelioma is a very aggressive cancer and Mrs L’s long-term prognosis is not good, obtaining her DMPS payment so soon after diagnosis will enable her to live as normal a life as possible and potentially help to pay others to do things that she is no longer able to do herself as her condition deteriorates.”

If you or a family member have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and would like advice about the DMPS please contact phoebe.osborne@ashtonslegal.co.uk.