Ella Cieslak, a 40-year-old hotel assistant manager from Poole, Dorset, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer after nine months of GP surgery visits during which she was repeatedly seen by a nurse rather than a doctor, despite a worsening string of symptoms. Her case highlights concerns about access to GP appointments and diagnostic delays, as the cancer had already spread to both lungs, her lymph nodes, liver, spine and brain by the time it was found, meaning it is now incurable.

Ella first sought help in September 2025 with stomach pain, itchy skin and bowel changes, and was treated for a stomach infection after seeing a nurse; blood tests came back normal. Symptoms escalated over the following months to include fatigue, one-sided body pain and swollen veins, with further nurse appointments and blood tests in October and March again showing nothing abnormal. It was only when a severe cough developed in May, prompting a GP appointment and chest X-ray, that doctors identified a problem, though even specialists initially suspected an infection before scans confirmed advanced, aggressive breast cancer.