Joanne Barnet was diagnosed with mesothelioma on the day she died – now her family are seeking answers
The family of a former hospital worker are appealing to her ex-colleagues for information after she died of an asbestos-related cancer last year. Joanne Barnet, 87, was diagnosed with mesothelioma on the day she died on May 17, 2024 – six months after she first began experiencing symptoms of breathlessness.
Joanne, who has been described by her children as a “lovely person”, worked as an administrative clerk at Guy’s Hospital in Southwark for over 20 years. The asbestos team at Leigh Day, the law firm in charge of investigating Joanne’s case, has seen records which suggest asbestos was “heavily used” in Hunt’s House and Tower Building, which is where Joanne worked between 1972 and 1996.
A spokesperson for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very sorry to hear about the death of our former colleague, Joanne, and extend our condolences to her family. We will assist Leigh Day as best we can.”
Joanne spent a significant amount of time in the basement of Hunt’s House which is where there was a staff restroom, women’s toilets and clerical offices.
According to witnesses Leigh Day says it has spoken to, the basement was in a poor condition and repairs were ongoing. Leigh Day’s asbestos team believe this could have led to the asbestos in the building being disturbed, though they do not have confirmation this is the case.
Joanne’s son, Marc, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Our mum was a lovely person, she was kind and generous. My mum was in good health, other than a bad back and crumbling spine. She’d never smoked so we were quite shocked when she started getting fluid on the lungs and then all of a sudden she was diagnosed with lung cancer – we couldn’t work out why.”
He added: “We honestly thought she’d make it to her 90s because her mum was one of four sisters and all her sisters all lived into their 90s so we presumed she’d definitely make it.”
Claire Spearpoint, who specialises in asbestos legal claims and is investigating Joanne’s case, said: “What we’re really looking for is witness evidence that can link where Joanne was in the hospital and what she was doing, with the presence of asbestos dust.
“The mere presence of asbestos alone isn’t enough in these cases, we need to show there was exposure to asbestos dust which would’ve gone on to cause her condition mesothelioma.”
Joanne’s family are keen to hear from any former employees who worked in Hunt’s House or Tower Wing at the same time as her. Anyone with information is asked to contact Leigh Day.
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