Negligent Surgery

All surgery involves risk. Some operations are more complex and carry greater risk than others. It is important that patients are made aware of this before agreeing to an operation (See Consent cases). Where things do go wrong in general surgery it is not always negligent. Even in the best hands some procedures can carry what is known as a non-negligent risk.

We will look at the surgical guidelines that should have been followed, the notes and records, the recollection of the patient and obtain expert advice from eminent surgeons about the treatment received. We will ask whether the treatment received was substandard  according to the standards of surgery in place at that time.

Where we can show that a surgical mistake should not have happened we can recover damages on your behalf. These damages are usually based on the difference in outcome between what has happened and what should have happened.

Our cases :-

In Mr Ps case negligent Orthopaedic treatment causing compartment syndrome and failure to unite. The claimant would have avoided compartment syndrome.

The fracture of the claimant’s right leg would have probably healed within 12 months, with it being at least 3 months and probably closer to 6 months for a reasonable degree of healing to occur such that the claimant would be able to fully weight bear. It would have been up to 12 months before the Claimant would have been able to walk without restriction.

The claimant would have obtained a reasonable level of self-care within 3 months but would have required assistance with heavier tasks for up to 12 months.

Ms P recovered £165,000 as the result of an error during keyhole surgery. She had keyhole surgery to remove her gallbladder (cholecystectomy.  During the procedure her common hepatic duct was transected and damaged. She suffered physically and mentally as a result of the huge impact it had on her life. The hospital admitted liability and following negotiations Ms P accepted an offer of £165,000.