A significant proportion of clinical negligence claims arise out of injury caused to patients during general surgery.

Complications of Abdominal Surgery

Two of the most common abdominal surgeries performed are :-

1)         Exploratory laparotomy and repair

This involves opening the abdominal cavity for direct examination of its contents, e.g. to look for a source of bleeding or trauma.  It may or may not be followed by repair.

2)         Laparoscopy

This is a minimally invasive approach to abdominal surgery where rigid tubes are inserted through small incisions into the abdominal cavity.  The tubes allow the introduction of a small camera, surgical instruments and gasses into the cavity for direct or indirect visualisation and treatment of the abdomen.  The surgeon can manipulate the instruments within the abdominal cavity to perform procedures such as cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal).  The laparascopic method may speed up healing time and reduce blood loss and infection, compared to the medical “open” cholecystectomy.  This procedure is not without complications however.

This firm has represented a significant number of Claimants who have been injured during surgical procedures of all types.

Below are some examples of our cases.

Case reports

Compensation payout following bowel surgery

Our client, Mr Horsefield was delighted to receive a compensation payment. 

In summary, our client attended Hope Hospital because of pain in his abdomen from which he had been suffering for 3 weeks. 

Although he was an inpatient for a further 3 weeks and investigated, he was discharged by the hospital.  We said that the failure to properly investigate whilst he was in hospital resulted in him losing the majority of his bowel.

This was an exceptionally complex case which involved many experts.  The hospital argued that even if they had treated him earlier, it wouldn’t have prevented him losing his bowel, and their investigations didn’t show that he should have an operation. 

Following the settlement, Mr Horsefield expressed his gratitude to his team of lawyers including Claire Horton, clinical negligence specialist of our Manchester office.  He felt supported throughout the case by them in the face of a very aggressive approach by the hospital.  The barrister who dealt with our client’s case considered that this was one of the most technically difficult cases to present from a medical point of view. 

This case was brought with the help of Legal Aid.  The support of the Community Legal Services Commission was invaluable in helping pay for the medical evidence needed in this case. 

If you would like to speak to the solicitor who settled this case please contact Claire Horton on freephone 0808 144 0957 or at our Manchester office telephone number on 0161 834 1251 or email: hort@johnpickering.co.uk

Man kept in stirrups during long operation recovers over a million pounds.

Mr S was in hospital for a routine operation.  After over 6 hours in the operating theatre with his legs in stirrups and his head placed downwards, he developed severe leg pain, numbness and nerve damage.  The hospital failed to treat him properly and he was left severely disabled with ‘compartment syndrome’.  Claire Horton, a Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel member with more than 20 years of experience of handling complex medical negligence claims against hospitals got to work. 

He recovered in compensation over a million pounds to help him move into a specially adapted bungalow, to buy wheelchairs, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Claire Horton’s expertise in medical negligence led her to advise him to set up a Trust.

She set up a Special Needs Trust so that he could continue to receive state benefits so that his compensation could be spent on the additional cost of living with a disability rather than on day to day living.

This case was brought with the help of Legal Aid.  The support of the Community Legal Services Commission was invaluable in helping pay for the medical evidence needed in this case.

If you would like to speak to the solicitor who settled this case please contact Claire Horton on freephone 0808 144 0957 or at our Manchester office telephone number on 0161 834 1251 or email: hort@johnpickering.co.uk

Clinical Negligence
M v Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust

 The Claimant suffered injury to her hepatic ductal system following a laparoscopic cholecystectomy causing leakage of bile.  When this was eventually recognised a further operation was performed to insert a T tube to allow the duct to heal.  The tube however was removed too early causing a further bile leak and further surgery was required.  The claimant  experienced a very stormy recovery period involving substantial weight loss, pain and frequent vomiting.  The pain and vomiting persisted after the initial recovery period causing substantial disability which affected the claimant’s employment and caused a deterioration in her life quality.  Although initially fiercely contested the claim settled with the claimant accepting £65,000.00 in compensation.

This case was brought with the help of Legal Aid.  The support of the Community Legal Services Commission was invaluable in helping pay for the medical evidence needed in this case. 

If you would like to speak to the solicitor who settled this case please contact Claire Horton on freephone 0808 144 0957 or at our Manchester office telephone number on 0161 834 1251 or email: hort@johnpickering.co.uk

Notes

John Pickering and Partners LLP

About Us

Our clients are people who have suffered injury as a result of a medical accident in the UK.  We are clinical and medical negligence solicitors.  We handle negligence claims against hospitals, GP’s and other medical practitioners for clients across the UK. 

We try to obtain maximum amounts of compensation. 

We are committed to providing public funding (previously known as Legal Aid) and have a franchise from the Community Legal Services Commission.  This means that they have looked at the firm carefully and approved of the way we work.  They consider that we are medical negligence claims specialists.  They trust us to handle medical accident claims properly. 

If you are not eligible for public funding, we can offer a Conditional Fee Agreement, also known as a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement with insurance.  We shall check the best method of funding your claim. 

All 3 of our offices (Liverpool, Manchester and Halifax) are accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. 

Claire Horton is an experienced clinical negligence solicitor who is based in our Manchester office.  She continues to practice as an independent funding ajudicator for the Legal Services Commission and acts on a pro-bono basis for the AvMA helpline.

For further advice on medical negligence in Liverpool please also contact Rachel Donovan and for Halifax contact Ruth Davies, who are both experienced in the field of clinical negligence.

We provide free initial advice to people seeking information about a potential clinical negligence claim. 

If you need advice about a clinical negligence claim, contact us now for information about making a claim for compensation.