Client Awarded £70,000.00 In Damages For Hospital’s Failure to Treat

Medical Negligence Solicitor, Chloe Sullivan, successfully secured £70,000.00 for a Client who did not receive the necessary treatment and rehabilitation after undergoing surgery for an injury to her finger, causing her to require corrective surgery and encountering prolonged pain and suffering.

What Happened

Our Client sustained an injury in which she was unable to flex her right ring finger. Upon visiting her local Hospital, the same was buddy strapped and she received a follow-up appointment for the Fracture Clinic. An ultrasound scan was carried out which showed a ruptured tendon to the ring finger. Our Client was admitted to surgery later on that day for a tendon repair and K-Wire insertion. After the joint had been pinned and the tendon had been repaired, our Client was discharged home.

Our Client returned for a review 3 weeks later when her sutures were removed. One week later her K-Wire was also removed and the finger was redressed. The following month during a review it was advised that our Client should be urgently seen by the Hand Therapy Team in order to expedite her rehabilitation, as her finger joint had become stiff. As a result of this the treating Doctor made attempts to straighten the joint under manipulation. Our Client was also asked to wear a splint and to keep passively manipulating the joint. Upon further review it was noted that our Client still had a flexion deformity of 25-30 degrees at the finger joint. Our Client was discharged from physiotherapy four months after the initial hospital attendance, as no improvements were being made.

Following this our Client was once again reviewed in the form of a finger X-Ray and it was confirmed that the operation needed to be re-done as our Client had not been splinted appropriately from the outset and did not undergo the required mobilisation following her initial surgery. As a result of this the finger had been left stiff with very little joint movement together with a 20-degree flexion deformity.

As a result of the negligence our Client continues to suffer pain and discomfort in her right ring finger. Our Client can no longer flex this finger which makes it difficult to grip, impacting her ability to work or carry out daily activities including driving.

How Chloe Helped

Chloe argued on her Client’s behalf that the treating medical professionals failed to take any adequate steps by referring her to physiotherapy or arranging early mobilisation of the injured finger.

Chloe also raised the point that the treating Doctor failed to appropriately splint our Client’s finger in a timely manner, allowing the injured finger to remain immobilised post-surgery for a significant length of time.

The Hospital’s failure to provide our Client with rehabilitation and a splint caused her to suffer prolonged pain and discomfort requiring corrective treatment.

The Result

As a result of Chloe’s persuasive arguments, the Defendant Trust admitted breach of duty in regards to their failure to provide our Client with physiotherapy in a timely manner for early mobilisation. It was also admitted that the medical professional in question failed to splint the finger post-surgery. The Defendant Trust also accepted liability for their failure to act upon the flexion deformity which allowed the finger to become stiff causing the requirement for corrective treatment and prolonged pain and suffering. As a result of this, Chloe was able to secure an award of £70,000.00 for her Client for the pain, suffering, financial losses and future implications endured.