£95,000 settlement following delayed below-knee amputation and unnecessary vascular procedures

Our medical negligence team has secured a £95,000 settlement for a client who endured severe pain, repeated hospital admissions, and significant psychological distress as a result of a prolonged delay in proceeding with a below-knee amputation.

Our client, a young woman, developed peripheral arterial disease and was admitted under the care of vascular surgeons following a significant decline in the condition of her right leg. She underwent a bypass graft procedure in January 2016, which was unsuccessful. A second bypass graft was performed a week later, during which her fourth and fifth toes were amputated. A further bypass graft was carried out in August 2016 which also failed to improve her condition.

Over the following years, she was in significant pain which also impacted her psychologically. She was in and out of hospital and underwent numerous debridement procedures in an attempt to salvage her right leg. Despite ongoing deterioration and repeated interventions failing, a right below-knee amputation was not performed until January 2019.

At the time, she was unaware that there had been any failings in her care, but in 2022 she was contacted by the hospital trust as part of an investigation into the treatment provided by the vascular team. She later received a letter from the health board confirming that its investigation had identified several issues with her care, including an unnecessary two and a half year delay in proceeding to amputation and the performance of multiple procedures that should not have been undertaken.

In light of the investigation, our medical negligence team sent the hospital trust a letter giving them the opportunity to formally admit the claim. When no such admission was made, expert evidence was obtained from a vascular surgeon who confirmed that the claimant should have undergone amputation in 2016, rather than being subjected to numerous painful and unnecessary procedures.

The claim was valued with the help of vascular, psychological and care experts and a schedule of loss was prepared. This was informally served on the defendant.

The hospital trust eventually confirmed that negligence was admitted and invited us to make an offer for settlement. Following the admission, our client received a number of interim payments on account of compensation, which helped to alleviate some of the financial pressures which had arisen from her injuries.

After the exchange of various offers, the claim was settled in early 2026. While the compensation will never erase the two and a half years of unnecessary pain and suffering experienced, it will help provide her with some financial security.

Emily Hartland, associate in the medical negligence team, comments: “This was a particularly distressing case in which my client was subjected to years of avoidable pain and numerous unnecessary procedures before the appropriate treatment was finally provided. I am pleased that we were able to secure an admission of liability and compensation for her. Although the settlement cannot undo the suffering she endured, it represents an important acknowledgment of the failings in her care and the impact this has had on her life.”