Linda Strode, a 54-year-old mother of two, died from cervical cancer after abnormalities were missed in two routine smear tests. Strode, from Pontblyddyn, Flintshire, received negative smear test results earlier, and her cancer was diagnosed at an untreatable stage four.
A review of her test results revealed that abnormalities had been missed, and errors were made in classifying the test results as normal. Public Health Wales apologized to the family after an inquest in Ruthin, Denbighshire. While the inquest acknowledged the mistakes, it did not result in a prevention of future deaths report, as it recognized the overall effectiveness of the screening process but noted that "mistakes can happen."