During surgery for gallstones in September 2013 our client’s bile duct was damaged, but the surgeon did not recognise the injury.
Our client was discharged and returned home but, due to severe and increasing pain, she returned to hospital where she had to have a substantial operation to reconstruct the damaged area. Following the repair our client suffered from pain, on-going fatigue which affected her daily life, health related anxiety and a hernia. She had to give up her job as a part time cleaner. As a result of the initial operation our client has also been left with the risk of developing complications throughout her lifetime including: a small bowel obstruction or ‘adhesions’ which will require an operation, the need for a further reconstruction operation or even a liver transplant, all of which would have been avoided had the first operation been performed competently.
What was our role?
We advised our client in bringing a clinical negligence claim against the hospital NHS Trust. Our work involved consulting with a specialist surgeon and psychiatrist to provide expert reports and evidence of negligence. We addressed difficult issues such as causation relating to long term surgical prognosis and the cause of our client’s psychological symptoms.
What was the outcome?
We brought the matter to a successfully negotiated conclusion before a listed trial, which meant that our client would not experience any further stress or anxiety by attending Court. We secured a compensation settlement of £125,000 and an award which will allow our client or her family to seek additional compensation if she develops further complications related to the first operation.
