We recovered £40,000 for a client who suffered an infection following routine ankle surgery. In this clinical negligence case the infection was ignored by medical staff and his disability is now much worse that it would have been if the infection had been treated appropriately.
£1.3m payout for girl with cerebral palsy
July 15th, 2009
A girl who suffers from cerebral palsy after being the victim of what was later described as a "negligent birth" has been awarded a multi-million pound compensation settlement.
Abigail Thomas, now six, was born at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth, but errors by medical staff meant that she was starved of oxygen.
She went on to develop quadriplegic cerebral palsy and now needs constant care to deal with her physical impairments, the Portsmouth News reports.
Through her mother Jacqueline, Abigail sued Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust for clinical negligence. It admitted liability and has now agreed to a compensation settlement of £1.3 million.
This will cover the cost of carers for Abigail, including a night-time helper to relieve her parents.
Nick Block, spokesperson for the NHS trust, said: "We hope that this settlement will provide financial security and help to lift the family’s burden."
According to Scope, there has been a slight increase in the proportion of children who have cerebral palsy in recent years – approximately one in every 400 children is affected.
£1m compensation for woman who had to have limb amputated
July 9th, 2009
A woman who was forced to have her leg amputated after errors occurred during a routine operation is to receive compensation.
Karen Flory, then 37, was admitted to Heath Road Hospital in February 2007 to have some swollen tissue removed from her right knee, the East Anglian Daily Times reports.
However, the blood supply to her leg was not properly monitored and Ms Flory had to have her leg amputated below the knee.
She is now unable to work and continues to feel pain in her leg.
Ipswich Hospital admitted liability and has now agreed to a payout of £1 million, which Ms Flory said will make it easier to overcome the practical tasks that her disability makes hard.
"The size of the settlement reflects the fact that I am not yet 40 and the whole of the rest of my life has been irrevocably changed by the amputation," she added.
Anyone whose operation goes wrong as a result of errors by medical staff may be eligible for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims.
Woman secures compensation after fight against MoD
July 6th, 2009
A woman whose twins were born brain damaged after poor treatment on an army base has secured compensation after a 13-year legal battle.
Lynne Steele, 41, was staying in Germany where her then husband was on active service in 1991.
After suffering pains in her stomach, the pregnant woman feared she was going into early labour and went to see the on-site medic, Dr Ian Anderson.
However, he refused to see her and attempted to give a diagnosis over the phone.
When Ms Steele did go into premature labour four hours later, she had passed the point where the birth could be delayed and her twins were born brain damaged and permanently disabled.
Although the Ministry of Defence (MoD) denied liability, arguing that the boys would have been disabled wherever they were born, Ms Steele disagreed and took the organisation to court.
In a new development, it was ruled this week that the MoD was negligent and that Shane and Dean should receive £1.65 million and £1.9 million respectively in compensation to cover their long-term care.
Last year, it was reported that the MoD had a shortage of 2,065 medical staff across the services and had employed 184 private medical staff on British bases since 2004 to meet the demand.
Mother continues fight against alleged clinical negligence
June 17th, 2009
A woman who claims that her daughter was incorrectly treated in hospital, leading to a string of medical problems, is continuing to seek compensation for clinical negligence.
Lynne Jones claims that her daughter Claire, now 27, had an operation for an eye infection that went wrong when she was 11, the Flintshire Evening Leader attests.
The mother alleges that as a result of the operation, Claire now suffers from depression, epilepsy and obsessive compulsive disorder.
"Even after all this time my daughter cannot live her life. It’s been taken away. To watch your daughter suffer is just heartbreaking," she commented.
Ms Jones is now organising an appeal against an earlier decision to dismiss the case and said she is determined to get compensation for her daughter.
A spokesperson for Glan Clwyd hospital declined to comment.
Patients may have grounds for compensation where an injury or death was caused by or contributed to by a breach of a duty of care by medical staff.
