Case studies

We advised on a claim against Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust after our client’s father had developed pressure sores while in hospital following a fall. There were various issues concerning the nursing care that he received.

Our client, a normally fit and active 40-year-old man, had difficulty walking and developed severe back pain after knee surgery at Wexham Park Hospital. We settled a claim against Heatherwood & Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust relating to the avoidable failure of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, where part of a ligament from his leg was used as a graft to reconstruct the damaged knee ligament.

We have secured an admission of liability from North Middlesex Hospital that it failed to properly assess a patient on two occasions. This led to a delay in diagnosis of Cauda Equina Syndrome, a condition involving spinal discs compressing sensitive nerves that can cause permanent damage if not swiftly treated by surgery.

We settled a claim against Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust for the neonatal death caused by an incorrect placement of a neonatal long line which penetrated the right atrium causing cardiac tamponade.

Our client was 18 years old when she first saw her GP in 2009 with problems with her right arm circulation and pain in her right shoulder. She was diagnosed with Raynaud’s phenomenon, a common condition that affects the blood supply to some parts of the body. She was referred for an X-ray that confirmed the presence of a cervical rib together with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition caused by nerves and blood vessels becoming compressed by a lack of space between the base of the neck and the armpit.

We settled a claim against Whittington Hospital NHS Trust for an alleged negligent failure to diagnose an undisplaced fracture of the radius. Our client injured his right arm after falling onto his outstretched hand and attended A&E at Whittington Hospital. The A&E clinician treating him requested an X-ray of the right arm and the claimant was subsequently diagnosed with a right forearm sprain. He was discharged without any follow up. His arm did not improve and he subsequently re-attended A&E several weeks later with ongoing pain and restricted movement. Upon further examination and another X-ray, the presence of a displaced radial fracture was noted and he required major surgery to re position and stabilise the fracture.

A 54-year-old woman has received £3,500 for the injuries she sustained as a result of negligent IPL (intense pulsed light) hair removal treatment in August 2012. She suffered mild superficial burns to her arms, with peeling and dyspigmentation, which resolved within three to four months. The burns were initially very painful and obvious and affected the claimant’s confidence. She required personal and domestic assistance for two weeks and was unable to fully enjoy a holiday following the accident as her arms had to be constantly shielded from the sun.

We were retained by a 25 year old woman who worked for a UK based airline. While on a stopover in Miami, she visited a beautician for eyelash extensions.

We negotiated a settlement of a claim for a patient left with permanent scarring as a result of burns to his foot caused by his GP.

We settled a claim for damages against Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust after our client suffered prolonged pain as a result of the midwifery staff ignoring her continued hyperstimulation. Uterine hyperstimulation is a potential complication of the induction of labour defined as either a series of single contractions lasting two minutes or more, or a contraction frequency of five or more in 10 minutes.

In this medically complex case, our client was transferred to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington to remove a catheter which had become knotted and stuck in his left iliac vein during an ablation under general anaesthetic.

Our client was admitted to BMI Healthcare’s Hampshire Clinic for the removal of a lesion in the salivary gland. During the operation, a Redivac drain was inserted into his neck.