Aine Tyrrell of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors recently assisted a client in recovering £250,000 from the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in a case arising from negligent treatment in 2018. Our client underwent keyhole surgery to remove her gallbladder at the Ulster Hospital. During the course of this surgery, she suffered a significant bile duct injury, which was not initially picked up by the treating clinicians.
Post-operatively, she was extremely unwell and at three days post surgery, she underwent a CT scan which was suggestive of a biliary leak. A washout and drain insertion was performed, however the point of obstruction was not identified and her condition continued to deteriorate. Our client complained of severe pain, weakness and vomiting yet it was not until almost two weeks after the second surgery that the source of the damage to the bile duct was identified and emergency surgery was performed. Following this, she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for twelve days, and was not discharged from hospital until two months after her original admission. Not only was there an initial breach of duty for the damage to the bile duct during the initial procedure, there was a subsequent delay in realising this mistake and acting upon it in a timely fashion, all of which resulted in significant injury to our client.
Unfortunately, following her discharge the patient continued to experience regular bouts of infection, requiring numerous hospital admissions. In February 2024, she was required to undergo further surgery, involving the removal of part of the liver. She was left with significant scarring, and the impact on her overall health and wellbeing has been significant. She reported chronic fatigue and a loss of energy.
O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors was instructed on behalf of the patient to investigate the care provided. A letter of claim was directed to the Defendant Healthcare Trust responsible for the care which she received and proceedings were issued. An admission of liability was forthcoming in 2024. Medical evidence was obtained to assess the impact which these events had upon our client and the case was ultimately settled by way of negotiations with the Defendant’s representatives in advance of a hearing date. These led to a settlement being reached in the sum of £250,000.
