Six-Figure Payout for Hospital Error

A Worcestershire woman has won a six-figure sum in compensation after a mistake during routine surgery. Carole George, who went into hospital to have her gall bladder removed, was left in agony after the surgeon accidentally cut through the main bile duct. Unfortunately, it took the medical staff almost a month to identify the error. In that time, Mrs George’s liver was irreversibly damaged.

 

In the weeks following the surgery in May 2001, Mrs George had a number of visits from a District Nurse and talked to her GP on the telephone. She was told that the excruciating pain and vomiting were both normal considering the abdominal surgery she had undergone.

 

Finally, two weeks after the surgery, Mrs George was unable to bear the pain any longer and she visited Accident and Emergency. There, a doctor diagnosed a biliary leak but it was still two weeks before she had corrective surgery.

 

The surgeon's mistake was compounded by the unacceptable wait between the point of diagnosis and the subsequent treatment. Mrs George suffered from jaundice, serious liver damage and peritonitis – an inflammation of the membrane lining part of the abdominal cavity. Not only have these problems necessitated eight subsequent operations but Mrs George may also require a liver transplant at a later time.

 

As a result of her ordeal, Mrs George's lifestyle has been severely curtailed.

 

Liability was accepted by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The High Court made a provisional compensation award of a six-figure sum. If, however, Mrs George does require a liver transplant in the next ten years, she is entitled to claim further damages.