The patient, our client, was admitted to hospital in October 2017 to undergo a sterilisation by keyhole surgery, a hysteroscopy and a number of other minor procedures. During the course of the hysteroscopy, when an instrument is inserted into the uterus, through the cervix, the patient suffered a perforation of her uterus and her bowel.
Keyhole surgery was converted to open surgery and a section of the damaged bowel was removed. Unfortunately that didn’t remedy the problem. The patient was returned to the Operating Theatre 6 days later in order to undergo a further open operation during the course of which a colostomy was formed. That colostomy remains to this day. Subsequently the patient has undergone further procedures, including a hysterectomy and a bilateral oophorectomy which was performed in March 2018. In total, since the date of the original operation in 2017, the patient has been admitted to Hospital on 17 separate occasions for a total of 250 days.
As a consequence of the negligence in this case, the patient suffered multiple injuries including the interrupted bowel function, colostomy, bladder problems requiring intermittent self-catheterisation, post traumatic stress disorder, severe and intermittent abdominal pain, premature menopause requiring HRT, loss of libido and difficulties with her relationship, severe abdominal pelvic adhesions, and exacerbation of her pre-existing fibromyalgia. The Plaintiff has been left with significant scarring on her abdomen.
In addition to the significant injuries sustained by the patient, she also suffered considerable financial loss. Previously employed in a full-time job, the Plaintiff was unable to return to any work, notwithstanding efforts to do so. She has an ongoing care requirement by virtue of the injuries that she sustained and her accommodation requires amendment and renovation in order to suit her long term needs.
The Plaintiff approached O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors in November 2017. Patrick Mullarkey acted on behalf of the patient in this case. We initiated an investigation on her behalf, obtained the necessary medical evidence to substantiate her allegations of substandard care, and proceeded to issue proceedings seeking damages from the Trust in 2019. The case was set down for hearing and listed in 2022. Liability in relation to the substandard care was admitted by the Defendant in 2020. Ultimately negotiations prior to the hearing of the case narrowed the issues between the parties and settlement was agreed in the sum of £2,250,000. The Plaintiff also recovered her costs.
Our client comments, “I was always kept up to date on progress and any queries I had were never too much to get an answer. I was treated with respect. I was truly overwhelmed by the settlement in my case. Patrick is so knowledgeable and knows his job inside out. Contacting O’Reilly Stewart and in particular Patrick was the best thing I did after my injuries. I was put at ease straight away and was supported the entire time“.
