Surgical Negligence Claims – “£10m paid out after Surgical Errors”

Posted on January 31, 2025 in Medical Negligence
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Few situations require more trust in medical professionals’ expertise than undergoing a surgical procedure. Unfortunately, mistakes can happen, sometimes leading to long-lasting consequences. As reported in the Plymouth Herald today, such errors have resulted in compensation payments exceeding £10 million to patients of Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital over the past five years alone.

A surgical negligence claim is a legal claim for compensation by a patient taken against a surgeon or healthcare provider for substandard or negligent medical care before, during or after surgery, that caused injury, illness or made an existing condition worse.

The compensation you may receive will depend on the severity of the surgical errors and their impact on your health and daily life. These payments can range from thousands to millions of pounds.

There are many examples of surgical negligence where you may be entitled to claim compensation. These include, but are not limited to:

Performing the wrong type of surgery
Performing surgery when it wasn't necessary
Failing to perform surgery to an acceptable standard, or with incorrect technique
Surgery performed on the wrong part of your body, such as the wrong leg
Surgical errors leading to further damage to the body, including injury to organs, nerve damage, and damage to blood vessels
Foreign objects left in the body
Surgical infections caused by poor hygiene or if the operating theatre hasn't been sterilised appropriately
Patients being administered the wrong amount of anaesthetic
Providing insufficient information to the patient about the risks of surgery
Making inadequate checks for the patient's suitability for the surgery
Failure to obtain informed consent for the surgical procedure

You can claim compensation for errors made in surgery if you can prove that the surgeon or any healthcare professional involved was negligent and this caused you harm.

It is well known that NHS services are stretched, and for some, the idea of taking money out of the NHS budget does not sit comfortably. However, any award of compensation does not come from the hospital’s budget. The NHS has a division known as NHS Resolution, a government organisation that handles all medical negligence claims against the NHS. As part of their annual budgets, each NHS Trust pays a yearly premium to NHS Resolution for the fair resolution of negligence claims.

Our team of dedicated, specialist medical negligence solicitors have decades of experience helping clients to claim compensation under even the most challenging circumstances. With a proven track record of successful claims, we can make claiming medical negligence compensation as simple and effective as possible.

We have extensive experience in handling surgical error and surgical negligence claims, securing millions of pounds in compensation for our clients. For example, our client, Carol successfully pursued a claim after her surgeon performed a partial knee replacement on the wrong side, resulting in permanent disability. Similarly, Mrs. H received £900,000 in compensation following a negligently performed operation to relieve her arthritic foot pain.

With our dedicated focus on non-confrontational dispute resolution, we aim to reach a settlement without needing you to go to court. This makes the claims process easier for you and means we can resolve your claim faster and at a lower expense.

Speak with us today, and we will advise you of your legal rights, how much compensation you may be entitled to claim, and how long the process may take.