A seven-year-old boy who was born too early after his mother was fitted with a contraceptive device while she was pregnant has been awarded £2.25 million damages.
Cian Bowen suffered brain damage because of his birth at 29 weeks and now has cerebral palsy although his intellect is intact.
Cian, who Mr Justice Spencer described as a “very delightful little boy”, was at London’s High Court with his parents, Stephen Bowen and Tracy Ann Hughes, for the settlement of his damages action against GP Helen Claire Jenkins.
The family’s counsel, Martin Spencer QC, said that the case arose from the admitted negligence of the doctor, who fitted Ms Hughes with an intrauterine device (IUD) or coil in March 2007, when she was already 14 weeks pregnant.
Ms Hughes suffered from bleeding and, seven weeks later, realised she was in fact pregnant, which was particularly devastating as she and her partner had regarded their family as complete.
No termination was possible at that stage and the pregnancy continued until Cian, who would not have sustained damage if he had gone to term, was born prematurely.
“He is now of course a much-loved and precious member of the family”, said counsel.
If the case had not settled but continued to trial, he added, there would have been a major dispute between the medical experts as to whether the presence of the IUD was causative of the premature labour and delivery.
It had been agreed that Ms Hughes should receive £200,000 of the damages, which are funded by the Medical Defence Union, in relation to her own personal injury claim and to compensate her and Mr Bowen for their past care.
The family, who live in Carmarthenshire, intended to pay off their mortgage and take a much-needed holiday.
The judge said he was satisfied that the settlement was in Cian’s best interests and paid tribute to the devotion and loving care shown by the family.
“I can see for myself he is a very delightful little boy - very bright and cheerful despite his difficulties.
“His parents, sisters and grandparents must be very proud of him.
“This settlement will bring the family the peace of mind they have been seeking and I wish them well. There will be more challenges, I’m sure, but now they have financial security.”
This article is courtesy of Wales Online.
Regularly updated blog featuring news, articles and information relating to clinical/medical negligence.
Showing posts with label Gynaecology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gynaecology. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Friday, 13 December 2013
Mum tells of 'nightmare' at hands of suspended Nuneaton gynaecologist
A mum has spoken of her “nightmare before Christmas” at the hands of a doctor who has now been suspended.
Marianne Hind, of Bedworth, was one of scores of woman put at risk when they were operated on by gynaecologist Dr Ihimire Paul Okojie.
As the Telegraph previously reported, the specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, was served with a four-month ban by the General Medical Council in October for his private work in Nuneaton and Coventry.
The conduct hearing heard how he put patients at “significant risk” when he carried out 260 operations privately without medical indemnity insurance over five years at the former Nuneaton Private Hospital from 2007 - 2008 and afterwards at BMI The Meriden Hospital in Walsgrave until 2012.
It meant he would not be covered financially if a private patient made a successful claim against him.
The matter came to light when Marianne, 43, made a successful claim for clinical negligence against Dr Okojie for failing to diagnose a significant gynaecological condition.
He advised her to undergo a complete hysterectomy but she then had to have an emergency procedure and tests found she was suffering from an enlarged kidney caused by a mistake made during the hysterectomy.
Two years after her hysterectomy at BMI Meriden in December 2010, Dr Okojie eventually agreed to pay an undisclosed five-figure sum in damages, which he is paying in instalments.
When he admitted to not having insurance, the matter was raised with BMI Healthcare who immediately suspended his practising privileges there.
Marianne, who is suffering with recurring infections, says she is still counting the cost of the operation she describes as her “nightmare before Christmas 2010”.
The single mum of three sons, aged 11, eight and six, was made redundant from a well-paid payroll support job last year which she puts down to having numerous weeks off sick.
“I put my trust in him, and believed that he knew what he was doing,” she said.
“Luckily I am getting better each year, it could have been much worse.”
Marianne Hind, of Bedworth, was one of scores of woman put at risk when they were operated on by gynaecologist Dr Ihimire Paul Okojie.
As the Telegraph previously reported, the specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, was served with a four-month ban by the General Medical Council in October for his private work in Nuneaton and Coventry.
The conduct hearing heard how he put patients at “significant risk” when he carried out 260 operations privately without medical indemnity insurance over five years at the former Nuneaton Private Hospital from 2007 - 2008 and afterwards at BMI The Meriden Hospital in Walsgrave until 2012.
It meant he would not be covered financially if a private patient made a successful claim against him.
The matter came to light when Marianne, 43, made a successful claim for clinical negligence against Dr Okojie for failing to diagnose a significant gynaecological condition.
He advised her to undergo a complete hysterectomy but she then had to have an emergency procedure and tests found she was suffering from an enlarged kidney caused by a mistake made during the hysterectomy.
Two years after her hysterectomy at BMI Meriden in December 2010, Dr Okojie eventually agreed to pay an undisclosed five-figure sum in damages, which he is paying in instalments.
When he admitted to not having insurance, the matter was raised with BMI Healthcare who immediately suspended his practising privileges there.
Marianne, who is suffering with recurring infections, says she is still counting the cost of the operation she describes as her “nightmare before Christmas 2010”.
The single mum of three sons, aged 11, eight and six, was made redundant from a well-paid payroll support job last year which she puts down to having numerous weeks off sick.
“I put my trust in him, and believed that he knew what he was doing,” she said.
“Luckily I am getting better each year, it could have been much worse.”
This article is courtesy from Coventry Telegraph.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Major Hepatitis C alert: gynaecologist could have infected thousands of women
Thousands of women across England are at risk of developing the blood disease hepatitis C after it was revealed that two patients have been infected by a retired gynaecologist and obstetrician.
A major alert is under way after it was discovered that the retired obstetrics and gynaecology worker unknowingly had the virus while employed by the NHS for decades.
It is known the healthcare worker infected two patients with the virus while working at a hospital in Wales, Public Health England (PHE) said.
At least 3,000 former patients are being contacted by letter informing them of the risk and a series of confidential helplines and a support service have been set up.
Several hundred patients in other areas of Wales who may have come into contact with the health worker are also being contacted.
In England around 400 former patients are being contacted, while urgent steps are being taken to check historic patient records in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This article is courtesy of The Telegraph.
A major alert is under way after it was discovered that the retired obstetrics and gynaecology worker unknowingly had the virus while employed by the NHS for decades.
It is known the healthcare worker infected two patients with the virus while working at a hospital in Wales, Public Health England (PHE) said.
At least 3,000 former patients are being contacted by letter informing them of the risk and a series of confidential helplines and a support service have been set up.
Several hundred patients in other areas of Wales who may have come into contact with the health worker are also being contacted.
In England around 400 former patients are being contacted, while urgent steps are being taken to check historic patient records in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
This article is courtesy of The Telegraph.
Monday, 22 July 2013
Two perfect babies. But you've just paid Bernice £44,000 compensation for having them
Bernice Quadling can still remember her shock, disbelief and the sudden gush of tears. She rushed from the room, struggling to retrieve her composure, then sat down and attempted to digest the astonishing facts.
Bernice was pregnant with twins. She had not planned to be. On the contrary, she'd had a contraceptive implant fitted in her arm and the chances of it failing were, she had been assured, minuscule.
But it had - and she'd just been told the reason why. She'd been given a dummy implant that was intended only for training purposes. It contained no contraceptive hormones and did not work because it had never been designed to.
Yet Bernice's GP had failed to notice the unequivocal warning stamped on it. 'Do not insert into humans' had been printed on the package.
It was even a different colour from the real implants - yellow, instead of the usual white.
And now, because of a doctor's blunder - a few minutes of casual inattention - Bernice's careful plans had been thrown into tumult, her life changed for ever.
This week, Bernice, who had been the manager of a group of children's nurseries before her twins were born, was amply recompensed for the GP's carelessness following a year-long fight. She won £44,000 from Northamptonshire Health Trust in an out-of-court settlement.
But the award raises a fundamental moral question: should a mother who has been blessed with two perfect children - twins Lexi and Freya are now 11 months old - be entitled to compensation at all?
Should she not merely feel incredibly fortunate that while many women suffer the anguish of infertility - and others lose their lives because of hospital blunders - her life has been enriched by the accidental birth of her beautiful twins?
In an era when NHS resources are scarce and stretched, many would argue that vital funds should not be diverted from life-saving treatment for patients.
Indeed, even the judge who made the award concurred that every child is a blessing. As a result, he made no financial recompense to Bernice for the cost of raising her unexpected arrivals to adulthood - the award was solely for loss of earnings during her pregnancy, the expenses she incurred and the shock she endured.
Bernice has no compunction about accepting the money. 'I have to raise my babies for the next 20 years,' she says. 'So I'm entitled to some money from the NHS.'
Why, some may ask, if she did not want the children, did she not terminate the pregnancy? She says, as a Catholic, that this was never an option for her, as she believes in the sanctity of life from conception onwards. And there is no doubt that her babies, now they are here, are utterly cherished.
'I have two gorgeous little girls I adore,' she concedes. 'Now they're here, they're loved and accepted. I can't imagine life without them and I wouldn't have it any other way. They're amazing.
'People stop and stroke their cheeks, and the other day an elderly lady said to me, "I never managed to carry a baby to full term". In that moment, I felt selfish and ungrateful.'
There will be those, indeed, who say she is. But Bernice remains unrepentant: 'The fact is, all the plans I'd had for my life were thrown into disarray when I became pregnant with the twins and I'll need the money I've been awarded to help look after them.'
'My first reaction was disbelief, then shock, then pure anger,' she recalls. 'I threw the test against the bathroom wall. I've always planned my life, and now those plans were in complete disarray'
Bernice, 37, met the directors of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last March, after she'd had her dummy implant removed at four months pregnant.
She had been promised an investigation and an explanation as to why the contraception had failed, and she was determined to get to the truth.
'They looked shame-faced when they told me what had happened,' she says. 'It seems the placebos were stored in the same cupboard as the real implants. These were used when staff were being trained how to insert them, and the doctor had fitted one in error.
'When the truth sunk in I was horrified. I burst into tears. I left the room, had a cup of coffee, calmed down and came back.
'I was told the doctor was fully qualified - she was an experienced GP who worked at my local surgery, a mature woman, who was apparently trained in family planning - so it was unbelievable that she should make such a fundamental mistake.
'I was told that the only action taken against her was to send her on a training course. Her error has had no impact on her life or career. Yet everything about my life has been changed completely.'
Bernice, who is independent and hard-working, had always planned her life meticulously. She already had two children, Callista, ten, and Tyra, seven, from her eight-year marriage to her first husband, with whom she had lived for 12 years.
Her family complete, she asked her GP if she could be sterilised. 'However, I was told you had to have had three pregnancies and be over 35 to be eligible for sterilisation on the NHS,' she explains.
Instead, she opted for a long-term contraceptive implant - a small, flexible tube inserted under the skin of the upper arm that stops the release of an egg from the ovary by slowly releasing progesterone into the body - which is effective for three years.
The device is reliable; only one woman in every 1,000 becomes pregnant while it is implanted, and for Bernice, this first device did its job.
However, in 2008, she and her husband, who had drifted apart, finally separated. Bernice began to forge a new life for herself and her daughters.
She bought a modest, four-bedroom semi close to one of her sisters in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and focused on her £28,000-a-year job and taking care of her daughters.
Then, in May 2011, realising that its expiry date was approaching, Bernice made an appointment with a clinic in Wellingborough to have her contraceptive implant removed and replaced.
'I lay on the couch and the nurse took the old one out - it's about the size of a matchstick - then the doctor popped the new one in.
'I didn't look. I'm a bit squeamish. There was a little bruising but I thought that was a small price to pay for three years of safety,' she says.
Bernice had not had a serious relationship since the end of her marriage, but had decided to play it safe just in case she met someone special.
In October 2011, she met Steven Gulla, 48, a dashing former paratrooper, on a night out with her sisters. 'Steve asked me to dance. He picked me up and swung me round. We were both laughing. I felt I'd known him for ever,' she recalls.
Quickly they fell in love. Steve, who left the Army in 1999, worked as a lecturer in painting and decorating at a local college. Separated from his wife, he had two grown-up sons and four grandchildren. Within a few weeks he and Bernice decided he should move in with her and her daughters.
'We planned a life together,' recalls Bernice. 'There would be time with Callista and Tyra, but also time just for us. Steve loves paragliding and he'd promised to teach me.
'We planned to have weekends together while my daughters were staying with their dad. It would be time just for us; to relax and enjoy ourselves; we'd have meals out and holidays together.
'With two salaries coming in we'd be comfortable financially. The house was just the right size for the four of us - the girls had a bedroom each and there was a small spare one. Bit by bit we planned to redecorate it.'
And on another subject they both agreed: neither Bernice nor Steven wanted more children. Bernice had not enjoyed her pregnancies, and had suffered from post-natal depression with Tyra. But the difficult years, it seemed, were behind her, and her children were not only thriving, but growing more independent.
However, she had barely had time to thoroughly contemplate her plans for a future with her new love Steven before she started to experience some disquieting symptoms.
'In January 2012, when Steve and I had only been together for three months, I started feeling tired. I was constantly falling asleep. At the end of the month I was helping my sister move house. I'd been lifting her garden ornaments and felt really sick.
'I wondered if I was pregnant, then told myself that with the implant that was impossible.
'But the thought wouldn't go away. My breasts felt tender. So I went to Sainsbury's and bought a home test. I intended to eliminate the daft idea that I could possibly be having another baby.'
The test result was unequivocal: it was positive.
'My first reaction was disbelief, then shock, then pure anger,' she recalls. 'I threw the test against the bathroom wall. I've always planned my life, and now those plans were in complete disarray.'
That evening, Bernice broke the news to Steven.
'Although we'd made a commitment to each other, I didn't want him to feel trapped,' she recalls.
'When I told him, "I'm pregnant" he thought I was joking at first. Then I just stared at him and the truth sunk in.
'I said, "There's no decision for me. I'll be keeping it. But I understand if you don't want to stay. I want to give you the option to leave".'
'I was shocked, overawed,' recalls Steve. 'I was totting up the figures in my head: I'll be 58 when our child is ten: how much of its life am I going to see?" But I'd already decided I wanted to be with Bernice.
'I'd moved in because we wanted to be together. There was no thought that I'd leave - no question.
'But Bernice and I had ruled out having children together. I was confused. I wanted to know how on earth it had happened.'
Equally perplexed, Bernice phoned the contraceptive implant's helpline. 'I asked, "Can you ever get a false positive on a pregnancy test if you have the implant?" I thought perhaps an imbalance of hormones could cause it. But the adviser said it definitely wasn't possible. He told me to see my GP at once and to have the implant removed.'
So in February 2012, Bernice visited the clinic again. 'I told the nurse I was pregnant and obviously the implant needed to come out. She looked concerned.
'When it came out of my arm she seemed to be uncomfortable about its colour: it wasn't white, but greenish-yellow. She left the room, came back and said, "We'll let you know what we find out".
'I wanted to know why it hadn't worked. If I had been one of the tiny minority who'd become pregnant despite having the implant, I'd have accepted that. But I didn't believe that had happened, partly because of the nurse's reaction.'
Two weeks on, Bernice received an apologetic phone call from her local NHS trust. She was promised a full investigation and last March she met Trust bosses.
Meanwhile, she and Steve went for her routine 12-week scan. 'We had just started to get our heads round the fact that I was having a baby,' says Bernice, 'And then the sonographer, who was looking at the image on the screen, said, "I can't quite see both of them".
'I didn't think I could take any more shocks. I said, "both of them?"
'Steve and I were silent; stunned. We'd been panicking about how we'd cope practically and financially with one. Now we were being told there were two. I was scared, shocked.
'My small spare bedroom was just big enough for a cot. Now there would be two. We'd just bought a bigger car to accommodate a baby seat. Now we'd have to trade it in for a people carrier. And all I could think about was how our lives would change for the next 20 years.'
Conscious of the trust's blunder, friends and family urged Bernice to seek compensation, but she and Steve say they were reluctant.
Their first concern was their twins. 'I didn't want them to find out later on in life and think they hadn't been loved,' says Bernice.
For many others, the dilemma would be a conspicuously different one: should precious NHS funds be used on such claims when resources are so sparse?
But for Bernice, it was the imminent financial practicalities of raising her children that prevailed.
'We knew we owed it to our daughters to go ahead with the claim because any money we were awarded would help raise them,' she says.
Meanwhile, her double pregnancy progressed. Her weight ballooned. She suffered from gestational diabetes and had to inject herself with insulin. Neither did she enjoy the sense of her life constricting, her freedom diminishing.
'I felt invaded,' she says. Her two older daughters, however, were both unequivocally joyful.
'They were so excited. Callista said, "I've always wanted a baby brother or sister; now we're having two!"'
Despite her misgivings, the love stole in on Bernice, too. 'At the 20-week scan I saw them more distinctly. They were squished together; two little bodies, one bigger than the other, the little one sitting on the other's head and I thought, "How cute are they?" I felt a natural urge to love and protect them,' she says.
Their birth, on August 24, 2012, was, she says, bewildering. She remembers the crush of medical staff in the room; Steven's anxious face, then the ecstasy that flooded in on her after their safe, natural delivery.
'When everyone had gone and I had a moment to myself to sit and snuggle them, I felt just awe and love,' she says. 'Freya, born first, was just so cuddly. Lexi, who came along 14 minutes later, had a look of mischief on her face.'
Now their little house is busy and crammed. Lexi, dark-haired and grey-blue eyed, greets me with a beam of delight. Freya, fairer, squeaks and coos at her sister in the private, impenetrable language of twins.
'They're gorgeous little ladies, but they've put a lot of pressure on a new relationship,' says Bernice. 'But we're getting through it, aren't we Steve?'
They exchange a glance. When they have the money - and time - they plan to get married.
But there will be no more babies: Bernice has made sure of that. She has been sterilised.
In the small sitting room, toys jostle for position with high chairs, baby bouncers, a play pen. It is a chaotic, happy scene. After everything, Bernice is elated and exhausted.
But should she have been awarded £44,000 for accidentally falling pregnant with two beautiful, healthy daughters? It is a question many will hotly debate.
This article is courtesy of the Daily Mail.
Bernice was pregnant with twins. She had not planned to be. On the contrary, she'd had a contraceptive implant fitted in her arm and the chances of it failing were, she had been assured, minuscule.
But it had - and she'd just been told the reason why. She'd been given a dummy implant that was intended only for training purposes. It contained no contraceptive hormones and did not work because it had never been designed to.
Yet Bernice's GP had failed to notice the unequivocal warning stamped on it. 'Do not insert into humans' had been printed on the package.
It was even a different colour from the real implants - yellow, instead of the usual white.
And now, because of a doctor's blunder - a few minutes of casual inattention - Bernice's careful plans had been thrown into tumult, her life changed for ever.
This week, Bernice, who had been the manager of a group of children's nurseries before her twins were born, was amply recompensed for the GP's carelessness following a year-long fight. She won £44,000 from Northamptonshire Health Trust in an out-of-court settlement.
But the award raises a fundamental moral question: should a mother who has been blessed with two perfect children - twins Lexi and Freya are now 11 months old - be entitled to compensation at all?
Should she not merely feel incredibly fortunate that while many women suffer the anguish of infertility - and others lose their lives because of hospital blunders - her life has been enriched by the accidental birth of her beautiful twins?
In an era when NHS resources are scarce and stretched, many would argue that vital funds should not be diverted from life-saving treatment for patients.
Indeed, even the judge who made the award concurred that every child is a blessing. As a result, he made no financial recompense to Bernice for the cost of raising her unexpected arrivals to adulthood - the award was solely for loss of earnings during her pregnancy, the expenses she incurred and the shock she endured.
Bernice has no compunction about accepting the money. 'I have to raise my babies for the next 20 years,' she says. 'So I'm entitled to some money from the NHS.'
Why, some may ask, if she did not want the children, did she not terminate the pregnancy? She says, as a Catholic, that this was never an option for her, as she believes in the sanctity of life from conception onwards. And there is no doubt that her babies, now they are here, are utterly cherished.
'I have two gorgeous little girls I adore,' she concedes. 'Now they're here, they're loved and accepted. I can't imagine life without them and I wouldn't have it any other way. They're amazing.
'People stop and stroke their cheeks, and the other day an elderly lady said to me, "I never managed to carry a baby to full term". In that moment, I felt selfish and ungrateful.'
There will be those, indeed, who say she is. But Bernice remains unrepentant: 'The fact is, all the plans I'd had for my life were thrown into disarray when I became pregnant with the twins and I'll need the money I've been awarded to help look after them.'
'My first reaction was disbelief, then shock, then pure anger,' she recalls. 'I threw the test against the bathroom wall. I've always planned my life, and now those plans were in complete disarray'
Bernice, 37, met the directors of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last March, after she'd had her dummy implant removed at four months pregnant.
She had been promised an investigation and an explanation as to why the contraception had failed, and she was determined to get to the truth.
'They looked shame-faced when they told me what had happened,' she says. 'It seems the placebos were stored in the same cupboard as the real implants. These were used when staff were being trained how to insert them, and the doctor had fitted one in error.
'When the truth sunk in I was horrified. I burst into tears. I left the room, had a cup of coffee, calmed down and came back.
'I was told the doctor was fully qualified - she was an experienced GP who worked at my local surgery, a mature woman, who was apparently trained in family planning - so it was unbelievable that she should make such a fundamental mistake.
'I was told that the only action taken against her was to send her on a training course. Her error has had no impact on her life or career. Yet everything about my life has been changed completely.'
Bernice, who is independent and hard-working, had always planned her life meticulously. She already had two children, Callista, ten, and Tyra, seven, from her eight-year marriage to her first husband, with whom she had lived for 12 years.
Her family complete, she asked her GP if she could be sterilised. 'However, I was told you had to have had three pregnancies and be over 35 to be eligible for sterilisation on the NHS,' she explains.
Instead, she opted for a long-term contraceptive implant - a small, flexible tube inserted under the skin of the upper arm that stops the release of an egg from the ovary by slowly releasing progesterone into the body - which is effective for three years.
The device is reliable; only one woman in every 1,000 becomes pregnant while it is implanted, and for Bernice, this first device did its job.
However, in 2008, she and her husband, who had drifted apart, finally separated. Bernice began to forge a new life for herself and her daughters.
She bought a modest, four-bedroom semi close to one of her sisters in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and focused on her £28,000-a-year job and taking care of her daughters.
Then, in May 2011, realising that its expiry date was approaching, Bernice made an appointment with a clinic in Wellingborough to have her contraceptive implant removed and replaced.
'I lay on the couch and the nurse took the old one out - it's about the size of a matchstick - then the doctor popped the new one in.
'I didn't look. I'm a bit squeamish. There was a little bruising but I thought that was a small price to pay for three years of safety,' she says.
Bernice had not had a serious relationship since the end of her marriage, but had decided to play it safe just in case she met someone special.
In October 2011, she met Steven Gulla, 48, a dashing former paratrooper, on a night out with her sisters. 'Steve asked me to dance. He picked me up and swung me round. We were both laughing. I felt I'd known him for ever,' she recalls.
Quickly they fell in love. Steve, who left the Army in 1999, worked as a lecturer in painting and decorating at a local college. Separated from his wife, he had two grown-up sons and four grandchildren. Within a few weeks he and Bernice decided he should move in with her and her daughters.
'We planned a life together,' recalls Bernice. 'There would be time with Callista and Tyra, but also time just for us. Steve loves paragliding and he'd promised to teach me.
'We planned to have weekends together while my daughters were staying with their dad. It would be time just for us; to relax and enjoy ourselves; we'd have meals out and holidays together.
'With two salaries coming in we'd be comfortable financially. The house was just the right size for the four of us - the girls had a bedroom each and there was a small spare one. Bit by bit we planned to redecorate it.'
And on another subject they both agreed: neither Bernice nor Steven wanted more children. Bernice had not enjoyed her pregnancies, and had suffered from post-natal depression with Tyra. But the difficult years, it seemed, were behind her, and her children were not only thriving, but growing more independent.
However, she had barely had time to thoroughly contemplate her plans for a future with her new love Steven before she started to experience some disquieting symptoms.
'In January 2012, when Steve and I had only been together for three months, I started feeling tired. I was constantly falling asleep. At the end of the month I was helping my sister move house. I'd been lifting her garden ornaments and felt really sick.
'I wondered if I was pregnant, then told myself that with the implant that was impossible.
'But the thought wouldn't go away. My breasts felt tender. So I went to Sainsbury's and bought a home test. I intended to eliminate the daft idea that I could possibly be having another baby.'
The test result was unequivocal: it was positive.
'My first reaction was disbelief, then shock, then pure anger,' she recalls. 'I threw the test against the bathroom wall. I've always planned my life, and now those plans were in complete disarray.'
That evening, Bernice broke the news to Steven.
'Although we'd made a commitment to each other, I didn't want him to feel trapped,' she recalls.
'When I told him, "I'm pregnant" he thought I was joking at first. Then I just stared at him and the truth sunk in.
'I said, "There's no decision for me. I'll be keeping it. But I understand if you don't want to stay. I want to give you the option to leave".'
'I was shocked, overawed,' recalls Steve. 'I was totting up the figures in my head: I'll be 58 when our child is ten: how much of its life am I going to see?" But I'd already decided I wanted to be with Bernice.
'I'd moved in because we wanted to be together. There was no thought that I'd leave - no question.
'But Bernice and I had ruled out having children together. I was confused. I wanted to know how on earth it had happened.'
Equally perplexed, Bernice phoned the contraceptive implant's helpline. 'I asked, "Can you ever get a false positive on a pregnancy test if you have the implant?" I thought perhaps an imbalance of hormones could cause it. But the adviser said it definitely wasn't possible. He told me to see my GP at once and to have the implant removed.'
So in February 2012, Bernice visited the clinic again. 'I told the nurse I was pregnant and obviously the implant needed to come out. She looked concerned.
'When it came out of my arm she seemed to be uncomfortable about its colour: it wasn't white, but greenish-yellow. She left the room, came back and said, "We'll let you know what we find out".
'I wanted to know why it hadn't worked. If I had been one of the tiny minority who'd become pregnant despite having the implant, I'd have accepted that. But I didn't believe that had happened, partly because of the nurse's reaction.'
Two weeks on, Bernice received an apologetic phone call from her local NHS trust. She was promised a full investigation and last March she met Trust bosses.
Meanwhile, she and Steve went for her routine 12-week scan. 'We had just started to get our heads round the fact that I was having a baby,' says Bernice, 'And then the sonographer, who was looking at the image on the screen, said, "I can't quite see both of them".
'I didn't think I could take any more shocks. I said, "both of them?"
'Steve and I were silent; stunned. We'd been panicking about how we'd cope practically and financially with one. Now we were being told there were two. I was scared, shocked.
'My small spare bedroom was just big enough for a cot. Now there would be two. We'd just bought a bigger car to accommodate a baby seat. Now we'd have to trade it in for a people carrier. And all I could think about was how our lives would change for the next 20 years.'
Conscious of the trust's blunder, friends and family urged Bernice to seek compensation, but she and Steve say they were reluctant.
Their first concern was their twins. 'I didn't want them to find out later on in life and think they hadn't been loved,' says Bernice.
For many others, the dilemma would be a conspicuously different one: should precious NHS funds be used on such claims when resources are so sparse?
But for Bernice, it was the imminent financial practicalities of raising her children that prevailed.
'We knew we owed it to our daughters to go ahead with the claim because any money we were awarded would help raise them,' she says.
Meanwhile, her double pregnancy progressed. Her weight ballooned. She suffered from gestational diabetes and had to inject herself with insulin. Neither did she enjoy the sense of her life constricting, her freedom diminishing.
'I felt invaded,' she says. Her two older daughters, however, were both unequivocally joyful.
'They were so excited. Callista said, "I've always wanted a baby brother or sister; now we're having two!"'
Despite her misgivings, the love stole in on Bernice, too. 'At the 20-week scan I saw them more distinctly. They were squished together; two little bodies, one bigger than the other, the little one sitting on the other's head and I thought, "How cute are they?" I felt a natural urge to love and protect them,' she says.
Their birth, on August 24, 2012, was, she says, bewildering. She remembers the crush of medical staff in the room; Steven's anxious face, then the ecstasy that flooded in on her after their safe, natural delivery.
'When everyone had gone and I had a moment to myself to sit and snuggle them, I felt just awe and love,' she says. 'Freya, born first, was just so cuddly. Lexi, who came along 14 minutes later, had a look of mischief on her face.'
Now their little house is busy and crammed. Lexi, dark-haired and grey-blue eyed, greets me with a beam of delight. Freya, fairer, squeaks and coos at her sister in the private, impenetrable language of twins.
'They're gorgeous little ladies, but they've put a lot of pressure on a new relationship,' says Bernice. 'But we're getting through it, aren't we Steve?'
They exchange a glance. When they have the money - and time - they plan to get married.
But there will be no more babies: Bernice has made sure of that. She has been sterilised.
In the small sitting room, toys jostle for position with high chairs, baby bouncers, a play pen. It is a chaotic, happy scene. After everything, Bernice is elated and exhausted.
But should she have been awarded £44,000 for accidentally falling pregnant with two beautiful, healthy daughters? It is a question many will hotly debate.
This article is courtesy of the Daily Mail.
Saturday, 6 July 2013
We had babies after being told we’d miscarried
More than 400 women every year are wrongly told they have miscarried.
Recent research from Imperial College London found mistakes are often made in reading ultrasound scans.
Some women go on to have healthy babies. But others, fearing they’ve miscarried, opt for a surgical procedure when they might have gone on to have a healthy baby.
Here, three women tell us about their near misses.
Stacey Farmer
Stacey, 30, from Bestwood, Notts, suffered a miscarriage but later discovered she was 34 weeks pregnant with the twin of the baby she had lost. She says:
“When I started bleeding at 11 weeks I presumed the pregnancy was over.
“I was lying in bed and just felt a bit odd, then I started bleeding.
“I started panicking and my partner Matt phoned the ambulance. When I got to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham the doctor told me I was losing the baby and to let nature take its course.
“Back home, I stood in the garden for two hours before I could bring myself to walk back through the door because I was so upset.”
The miscarriage put such a strain on Stacey’s relationship with partner Matt, 30, that they broke up.
She says: “Matt was really supportive, but I was just too upset all the time. I just couldn’t get over what had happened and we drifted apart. Within a matter of weeks I’d lost both my baby and my boyfriend.
“I had never felt so low.”
A few weeks on, the couple decided to give their relationship another try, and three months later Stacey realised her periods had not returned to normal.
She put it down to her body adjusting after the miscarriage but decided to take a pregnancy test just in case. Stacey was stunned when the test showed up positive. She says: “I had to take about six tests before I accepted the fact I was actually pregnant because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Although I was worried that I might miscarry again, I was still delighted that I’d fallen pregnant so quickly.”
Stacey was thrilled when a scan at 12 weeks confirmed she was pregnant – but stunned to be told she was actually carrying the twin of the baby she had lost.
She says: “As I tried to make out the fuzzy image on the screen I couldn’t believe my eyes because there was the baby – and it was huge. It was a massive shock. I explained to the doctor that I’d had a miscarriage so when I saw how big the baby was I was gobsmacked.
“I’d expected to see a heartbeat, but this was a fully formed baby.
“I panicked because I hadn’t been eating the way a pregnant woman should, and I hadn’t bought a single thing for the baby.
“Matt had come with me and he was furious. How can they not have realised one of our babies was still alive?”
Thomas was born at Queen’s Medical Centre by Caesarean and has just turned six.
He also has a sister, Molly, now aged four.
Linda Aitchison
Company director Linda, 45, from Walsall, was told six weeks into her pregnancy that she’d lost a twin – and was almost certain to lose the other. She says:
“April 1, 1998, was one hell of a day for my partner Neil and me. I had been having tummy pains for a few weeks but my GP had assured me I’d just pulled a muscle in the gym.
“I wasn’t so sure, so I did a pregnancy test which showed I might be pregnant – we hadn’t been trying but were madly in love and were overjoyed with the news.
“My pains got worse and I was whisked into Shrewsbury Hospital to test for an ectopic pregnancy. They found the heartbeats of two babies.
“It was a dream come true, but then a week later I suffered terrible stomach pains and bleeding.
“Neil took me to Leicester Royal Infirmary where we were told bluntly that I’d ‘passed’ the pregnancy, and my other baby would have ‘passed’ by the morning. I sat sobbing – but only got given a leaflet.
“All they said was to come back in ten days for another scan. I cried almost constantly until the next scan and when I went in I was forewarned and expected to have the bad news confirmed, but miraculously they told me both babies were still alive. I collapsed on the floor in shock and had to be taken out in a wheelchair.
“So many questions were going round my head. I felt like I was still in mourning for my babies and didn’t know who to trust – would the babies survive after all?
“The next few months were a nightmare. I’d panic at the slightest twinge, thinking I was about to miscarry. But at 34 weeks I gave birth naturally to Emily and Melissa, weighing 5lbs 10oz and 5lbs 3oz.
“Being so small they were in special care for two weeks and during the first years of their lives I always worried due to that false diagnosis during my pregnancy.
“Slowly I managed to put my feelings to one side. I did my best to a good mum – and we spoiled them rotten.”
In 2011 Linda and Neil learned the terrible news that he had terminal stage melanoma. They decided to get married, and in May last year he died.
Linda says: “I lost the love of my life and suddenly all those feelings of grief came back again.
“Thankfully I had counselling to cope with his death. I’m sure that would have helped with the miscarriage misdiagnosis all those years ago – not just a leaflet.”
Julia Murray
Admin assistant Julia, 27, lives with husband Graham, 29, who lays floors, in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. She was told she had miscarried when doctors failed to find a heartbeat during an ultrasound. She says:
“I started bleeding at eight weeks and thought I’d miscarried. I went to my GP in floods of tears but he reassured me the baby was fine and some bleeding was normal.
“My pregnancy with my daughter Ella-Mae, who is three, was normal so I did think the bleeding was unusual but I wanted to stay positive.
“Two weeks later, though, I suffered a massive bleed and Graham drove me to A&E at Broomfield Hospital in Essex. I was told there was no heartbeat and I had miscarried.”
But less than a day after being told they had lost her child, Julia demanded a second scan – which revealed the baby was still alive.
Julia now knows she had suffered a ruptured placenta. The blood loss was wrongly diagnosed as a miscarriage and she says: “Thankfully they had made a mistake. The sonographer jumped out of his skin when he found the heartbeat. I was shocked.
“I then suffered a number of complications. In bed one evening I felt my waters go – I was horrified as it was only 24 weeks and I knew the chances of a baby born that early surviving were small.
“When we got to the hospital they said I only had a leak. I was sceptical but there wasn’t much else I could do.”
Luckily, mother’s intuition kicked in and Julia put herself on bed-rest to try to protect the baby as much as possible.
Three weeks later she felt better and went food shopping. But when she got home she started bleeding heavily and her mum, Christine, called an ambulance.
Julia said: “When we finally got to Broomfield they found that my waters had indeed broken at 24 weeks but the baby was still OK.
“I felt like saying, ‘I told you so’ but not much could be done about it.
“They hooked me up to a monitor and told Graham to go home.
“The nurses wanted to turn it off for the night but I begged them to leave it on. I was sound asleep when I suddenly heard all the buzzers going off.
“The baby’s heartbeat had dropped to a dangerous level so doctors decided on a Caesarean section. I was rushed into theatre.
“Twenty-seven weeks is still very early so I was worried. But at that point I was just pleased something was being done to help the baby, who was born weighing just 3lbs.
“We called him Alfie and he is now 14 months old – and healthy.
“Alfie is a miracle. I can’t believe I thought I’d miscarried and now our baby is more than a year old.”
This article is courtesy of the Sun.
Recent research from Imperial College London found mistakes are often made in reading ultrasound scans.
Some women go on to have healthy babies. But others, fearing they’ve miscarried, opt for a surgical procedure when they might have gone on to have a healthy baby.
Here, three women tell us about their near misses.
Stacey Farmer
Stacey, 30, from Bestwood, Notts, suffered a miscarriage but later discovered she was 34 weeks pregnant with the twin of the baby she had lost. She says:
“When I started bleeding at 11 weeks I presumed the pregnancy was over.
“I was lying in bed and just felt a bit odd, then I started bleeding.
“I started panicking and my partner Matt phoned the ambulance. When I got to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham the doctor told me I was losing the baby and to let nature take its course.
“Back home, I stood in the garden for two hours before I could bring myself to walk back through the door because I was so upset.”
The miscarriage put such a strain on Stacey’s relationship with partner Matt, 30, that they broke up.
She says: “Matt was really supportive, but I was just too upset all the time. I just couldn’t get over what had happened and we drifted apart. Within a matter of weeks I’d lost both my baby and my boyfriend.
“I had never felt so low.”
A few weeks on, the couple decided to give their relationship another try, and three months later Stacey realised her periods had not returned to normal.
She put it down to her body adjusting after the miscarriage but decided to take a pregnancy test just in case. Stacey was stunned when the test showed up positive. She says: “I had to take about six tests before I accepted the fact I was actually pregnant because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Although I was worried that I might miscarry again, I was still delighted that I’d fallen pregnant so quickly.”
Stacey was thrilled when a scan at 12 weeks confirmed she was pregnant – but stunned to be told she was actually carrying the twin of the baby she had lost.
She says: “As I tried to make out the fuzzy image on the screen I couldn’t believe my eyes because there was the baby – and it was huge. It was a massive shock. I explained to the doctor that I’d had a miscarriage so when I saw how big the baby was I was gobsmacked.
“I’d expected to see a heartbeat, but this was a fully formed baby.
“I panicked because I hadn’t been eating the way a pregnant woman should, and I hadn’t bought a single thing for the baby.
“Matt had come with me and he was furious. How can they not have realised one of our babies was still alive?”
Thomas was born at Queen’s Medical Centre by Caesarean and has just turned six.
He also has a sister, Molly, now aged four.
Linda Aitchison
Company director Linda, 45, from Walsall, was told six weeks into her pregnancy that she’d lost a twin – and was almost certain to lose the other. She says:
“April 1, 1998, was one hell of a day for my partner Neil and me. I had been having tummy pains for a few weeks but my GP had assured me I’d just pulled a muscle in the gym.
“I wasn’t so sure, so I did a pregnancy test which showed I might be pregnant – we hadn’t been trying but were madly in love and were overjoyed with the news.
“My pains got worse and I was whisked into Shrewsbury Hospital to test for an ectopic pregnancy. They found the heartbeats of two babies.
“It was a dream come true, but then a week later I suffered terrible stomach pains and bleeding.
“Neil took me to Leicester Royal Infirmary where we were told bluntly that I’d ‘passed’ the pregnancy, and my other baby would have ‘passed’ by the morning. I sat sobbing – but only got given a leaflet.
“All they said was to come back in ten days for another scan. I cried almost constantly until the next scan and when I went in I was forewarned and expected to have the bad news confirmed, but miraculously they told me both babies were still alive. I collapsed on the floor in shock and had to be taken out in a wheelchair.
“So many questions were going round my head. I felt like I was still in mourning for my babies and didn’t know who to trust – would the babies survive after all?
“The next few months were a nightmare. I’d panic at the slightest twinge, thinking I was about to miscarry. But at 34 weeks I gave birth naturally to Emily and Melissa, weighing 5lbs 10oz and 5lbs 3oz.
“Being so small they were in special care for two weeks and during the first years of their lives I always worried due to that false diagnosis during my pregnancy.
“Slowly I managed to put my feelings to one side. I did my best to a good mum – and we spoiled them rotten.”
In 2011 Linda and Neil learned the terrible news that he had terminal stage melanoma. They decided to get married, and in May last year he died.
Linda says: “I lost the love of my life and suddenly all those feelings of grief came back again.
“Thankfully I had counselling to cope with his death. I’m sure that would have helped with the miscarriage misdiagnosis all those years ago – not just a leaflet.”
Julia Murray
Admin assistant Julia, 27, lives with husband Graham, 29, who lays floors, in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. She was told she had miscarried when doctors failed to find a heartbeat during an ultrasound. She says:
“I started bleeding at eight weeks and thought I’d miscarried. I went to my GP in floods of tears but he reassured me the baby was fine and some bleeding was normal.
“My pregnancy with my daughter Ella-Mae, who is three, was normal so I did think the bleeding was unusual but I wanted to stay positive.
“Two weeks later, though, I suffered a massive bleed and Graham drove me to A&E at Broomfield Hospital in Essex. I was told there was no heartbeat and I had miscarried.”
But less than a day after being told they had lost her child, Julia demanded a second scan – which revealed the baby was still alive.
Julia now knows she had suffered a ruptured placenta. The blood loss was wrongly diagnosed as a miscarriage and she says: “Thankfully they had made a mistake. The sonographer jumped out of his skin when he found the heartbeat. I was shocked.
“I then suffered a number of complications. In bed one evening I felt my waters go – I was horrified as it was only 24 weeks and I knew the chances of a baby born that early surviving were small.
“When we got to the hospital they said I only had a leak. I was sceptical but there wasn’t much else I could do.”
Luckily, mother’s intuition kicked in and Julia put herself on bed-rest to try to protect the baby as much as possible.
Three weeks later she felt better and went food shopping. But when she got home she started bleeding heavily and her mum, Christine, called an ambulance.
Julia said: “When we finally got to Broomfield they found that my waters had indeed broken at 24 weeks but the baby was still OK.
“I felt like saying, ‘I told you so’ but not much could be done about it.
“They hooked me up to a monitor and told Graham to go home.
“The nurses wanted to turn it off for the night but I begged them to leave it on. I was sound asleep when I suddenly heard all the buzzers going off.
“The baby’s heartbeat had dropped to a dangerous level so doctors decided on a Caesarean section. I was rushed into theatre.
“Twenty-seven weeks is still very early so I was worried. But at that point I was just pleased something was being done to help the baby, who was born weighing just 3lbs.
“We called him Alfie and he is now 14 months old – and healthy.
“Alfie is a miracle. I can’t believe I thought I’d miscarried and now our baby is more than a year old.”
This article is courtesy of the Sun.
Monday, 6 May 2013
NHS patients want summit with health secretary as they reveal agony after prolapse operations
Health Secretary Alex Neil was yesterday urged to meet more than 100 Scots women whose lives have been ruined by plastic mesh used to treat prolapse problems.
The growing scale of the scandal has become clear after scores more NHS patients contacted the Sunday Mail when we revealed last week the horrendous pain being endured by many surgery victims.
We told of the escalating concerns surrounding polypropylene mesh implants used to correct bladder and pelvic floor problems after ops left patients in agony.
Some were left unable to walk, others had their sex lives ruined and many have endured a series of gruelling operations as surgeons struggle to remove the mesh.
In America, one victim has been awarded £10million compensation after the vaginal mesh sliced through her organ walls.
In Scotland, it is believed around 6000 women have had the procedures.
Experts believe hundreds may now be suffering from complications, including organ damage, caused by the mesh.
Yesterday, Shadow Health Minister Jackie Baillie said: “I’m shocked at the numbers, especially as this may still only be the tip of the iceberg. I’ll be asking Health Secretary Alex Neil to meet some of these women so he can hear their
experiences.
“We need clear and decisive action from the Scottish Government.
“From evidence we’re hearing, many of these women have not even been given one-to-one consultations.
“They haven’t been offered alternatives to the mesh and tape procedures.
“And they haven’t been made aware of possible side-effects or the difficulties of removing mesh.
“This highlights the long-overdue need for a national register for every single implant.”
Last month, Linda Gross was awarded almost £10million after a US jury ruled she was not told about possible complications. Medical giants Johnson & Johnson deny their product is responsible and are appealing the verdict.
It has been reported that Johnson & Johnson, their subsidiary Ethicon and other firms face claims from 4000 women who say they have been left in agony after their mesh cut into organ walls.
In Scotland, lawyer Cameron Fyfe, of Drummond Miller, said: “We’ve been inundated with calls from women
desperate for help and each story is more horrifying than the last.
“I fully expect this to end up being one of the biggest group actions the Scottish civil courts have ever seen.”
Lawyer Victoria Ulph, of Martin & Co, said: “I’ve heard from a number of women who weren’t given one-to-one consultations with their surgeons so how could they be making informed choices?”
The Scottish Government said: “There are a small number of surgeons in NHS Scotland who provide this service. They monitor patients and, where required, provide aftercare.
“Mr Neil meets with his opposition opposite numbers regularly and can discuss this matter further at the next meeting.”
Antonia McCulloch, 47, from Largs, Ayrshire, had mesh implants to correct bladder and bowel
prolapse last May at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
She said: “Immediately prior to
the surgery, four of us were taken into a room so there was no proper chance to discuss such an intimate procedure in front of the others.
“We weren’t told the mesh couldn’t be easily removed or how awful any complications could be – or there’s no way I would have gone ahead.
“Any concerns raised were swept aside and we were assured it wasn’t a complex procedure.
“Before I knew it, I was waking up in recovery, screaming in pain.
“Nursing staff were dismissive, telling me I couldn’t be feeling so much pain. But I was in agony.
“I was rushed back into hospital three days after being discharged and again a few days later.
“On June 19 last year, 20 days after my first surgery, the mesh was already starting to push its way through my body. I’ve had six operations but they still haven’t managed to get all the mesh out.”
Mum-of-two Antonia has spent months off her job as a shop assistant and cleaner.
Antonia McCulloch, 47, from Largs, Ayrshire, had mesh implants to correct bladder and bowel prolapse last May at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
She said: “Immediately prior to the surgery, four of us were taken into a room so there was no proper chance to discuss such an intimate procedure in front of the others.
“We weren’t told the mesh couldn’t be easily removed or how awful any complications could be – or there’s no way I would have gone ahead.
“Any concerns raised were swept aside and we were assured it wasn’t a complex procedure.
“Before I knew it, I was waking up in recovery, screaming in pain. “Nursing staff were dismissive, telling me I couldn’t be feeling so much pain. But I was in agony.
“I was rushed back into hospital three days after being discharged and again a few days later.
“On June 19 last year, 20 days after my first surgery, the mesh was already starting to push its way through my body. I’ve had six operations but they still haven’t managed to get all the mesh out.”
Mum-of-two Antonia has spent months off her job as a shop assistant and cleaner.
She said: “I don’t feel 47, I feel like I’m 74. Some days the pain is so bad, I’m physically sick.
“When I complained to the hospital, I was told I was unlucky.
“But after reading the Sunday Mail, there seems to be an awful lot of unlucky women out there.
“I just want my life back. I used to ride horses, cycle and loved to walk. Now I can’t even lift my baby granddaughter. I don’t know when this nightmare will end.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Any risks associated with surgery should be fully discussed with patients. We’d be happy to discuss any concerns patients may have after their procedure.”
Anne Marie Conley, 51, from Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, has been admitted to hospital six times since her op four years ago.
She had mesh surgery at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock in 2009 for bladder and bowel prolapse.
She said: “After the procedure, I had to be rushed back in and given six pints of blood during a 12-hour blood transfusion.
“Eighteen days after the first surgery, I had an operation to remove all the mesh.
“But I’ve had procedure after procedure and I still feel the mesh. It’s like there’s something dead inside me.
“I’ve spent 18 months on steroids to control the pain but nothing works. Doctors put a camera into my bladder and I could see all the debris, the purple and black patches inside me.
“There’s no way I would have consented to this if it had been properly explained to me.
“Until I read the Sunday Mail, I thought I was suffering on my own as doctors kept saying that what happened to me was rare.”
Mandy Yule, of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said: “We’re sorry Ms Conley feels we did not meet the high standards we strive for. We would urge anyone with concerns about our services to talk to us directly.”
Josephine McLaughlan, from Barrhead, Renfrewshire, is surviving on morphine to kill the pain after seven operations.
The 60-year-old had a mesh procedure for bowel prolapse in 2011 at the RAH, Paisley.
She said: “I was asked to sign a consent form. Nobody explained about complications or if there were alternatives.
“When I awoke after that first surgery, I was haemorrhaging and could already feel the tape coming through my body.
“Within six weeks, I’d had so many infections, the surgeon agreed to start removing the mesh. I’ve had another six ops so far. I’m on massive doses of morphine to try to dull the pain and I now walk with a stick.
“I’ve just turned 60 and feel my life is over.
“I can’t go anywhere unless I’m within sight of a toilet.”
Josephine, who used to work as a catering manager at Reid Kerr College in Paisley, said: “I’ve been made to feel as if I’m a nuisance and I’m the only one with these complications.
“When I read the Sunday Mail last week, I couldn’t believe so many others are going through the same thing.”
This article is courtesy of the Daily Record.
The growing scale of the scandal has become clear after scores more NHS patients contacted the Sunday Mail when we revealed last week the horrendous pain being endured by many surgery victims.
We told of the escalating concerns surrounding polypropylene mesh implants used to correct bladder and pelvic floor problems after ops left patients in agony.
Some were left unable to walk, others had their sex lives ruined and many have endured a series of gruelling operations as surgeons struggle to remove the mesh.
In America, one victim has been awarded £10million compensation after the vaginal mesh sliced through her organ walls.
In Scotland, it is believed around 6000 women have had the procedures.
Experts believe hundreds may now be suffering from complications, including organ damage, caused by the mesh.
Yesterday, Shadow Health Minister Jackie Baillie said: “I’m shocked at the numbers, especially as this may still only be the tip of the iceberg. I’ll be asking Health Secretary Alex Neil to meet some of these women so he can hear their
experiences.
“We need clear and decisive action from the Scottish Government.
“From evidence we’re hearing, many of these women have not even been given one-to-one consultations.
“They haven’t been offered alternatives to the mesh and tape procedures.
“And they haven’t been made aware of possible side-effects or the difficulties of removing mesh.
“This highlights the long-overdue need for a national register for every single implant.”
Last month, Linda Gross was awarded almost £10million after a US jury ruled she was not told about possible complications. Medical giants Johnson & Johnson deny their product is responsible and are appealing the verdict.
It has been reported that Johnson & Johnson, their subsidiary Ethicon and other firms face claims from 4000 women who say they have been left in agony after their mesh cut into organ walls.
In Scotland, lawyer Cameron Fyfe, of Drummond Miller, said: “We’ve been inundated with calls from women
desperate for help and each story is more horrifying than the last.
“I fully expect this to end up being one of the biggest group actions the Scottish civil courts have ever seen.”
Lawyer Victoria Ulph, of Martin & Co, said: “I’ve heard from a number of women who weren’t given one-to-one consultations with their surgeons so how could they be making informed choices?”
The Scottish Government said: “There are a small number of surgeons in NHS Scotland who provide this service. They monitor patients and, where required, provide aftercare.
“Mr Neil meets with his opposition opposite numbers regularly and can discuss this matter further at the next meeting.”
Antonia McCulloch, 47, from Largs, Ayrshire, had mesh implants to correct bladder and bowel
prolapse last May at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
She said: “Immediately prior to
the surgery, four of us were taken into a room so there was no proper chance to discuss such an intimate procedure in front of the others.
“We weren’t told the mesh couldn’t be easily removed or how awful any complications could be – or there’s no way I would have gone ahead.
“Any concerns raised were swept aside and we were assured it wasn’t a complex procedure.
“Before I knew it, I was waking up in recovery, screaming in pain.
“Nursing staff were dismissive, telling me I couldn’t be feeling so much pain. But I was in agony.
“I was rushed back into hospital three days after being discharged and again a few days later.
“On June 19 last year, 20 days after my first surgery, the mesh was already starting to push its way through my body. I’ve had six operations but they still haven’t managed to get all the mesh out.”
Mum-of-two Antonia has spent months off her job as a shop assistant and cleaner.
Antonia McCulloch, 47, from Largs, Ayrshire, had mesh implants to correct bladder and bowel prolapse last May at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
She said: “Immediately prior to the surgery, four of us were taken into a room so there was no proper chance to discuss such an intimate procedure in front of the others.
“We weren’t told the mesh couldn’t be easily removed or how awful any complications could be – or there’s no way I would have gone ahead.
“Any concerns raised were swept aside and we were assured it wasn’t a complex procedure.
“Before I knew it, I was waking up in recovery, screaming in pain. “Nursing staff were dismissive, telling me I couldn’t be feeling so much pain. But I was in agony.
“I was rushed back into hospital three days after being discharged and again a few days later.
“On June 19 last year, 20 days after my first surgery, the mesh was already starting to push its way through my body. I’ve had six operations but they still haven’t managed to get all the mesh out.”
Mum-of-two Antonia has spent months off her job as a shop assistant and cleaner.
She said: “I don’t feel 47, I feel like I’m 74. Some days the pain is so bad, I’m physically sick.
“When I complained to the hospital, I was told I was unlucky.
“But after reading the Sunday Mail, there seems to be an awful lot of unlucky women out there.
“I just want my life back. I used to ride horses, cycle and loved to walk. Now I can’t even lift my baby granddaughter. I don’t know when this nightmare will end.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Any risks associated with surgery should be fully discussed with patients. We’d be happy to discuss any concerns patients may have after their procedure.”
Anne Marie Conley, 51, from Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, has been admitted to hospital six times since her op four years ago.
She had mesh surgery at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock in 2009 for bladder and bowel prolapse.
She said: “After the procedure, I had to be rushed back in and given six pints of blood during a 12-hour blood transfusion.
“Eighteen days after the first surgery, I had an operation to remove all the mesh.
“But I’ve had procedure after procedure and I still feel the mesh. It’s like there’s something dead inside me.
“I’ve spent 18 months on steroids to control the pain but nothing works. Doctors put a camera into my bladder and I could see all the debris, the purple and black patches inside me.
“There’s no way I would have consented to this if it had been properly explained to me.
“Until I read the Sunday Mail, I thought I was suffering on my own as doctors kept saying that what happened to me was rare.”
Mandy Yule, of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said: “We’re sorry Ms Conley feels we did not meet the high standards we strive for. We would urge anyone with concerns about our services to talk to us directly.”
Josephine McLaughlan, from Barrhead, Renfrewshire, is surviving on morphine to kill the pain after seven operations.
The 60-year-old had a mesh procedure for bowel prolapse in 2011 at the RAH, Paisley.
She said: “I was asked to sign a consent form. Nobody explained about complications or if there were alternatives.
“When I awoke after that first surgery, I was haemorrhaging and could already feel the tape coming through my body.
“Within six weeks, I’d had so many infections, the surgeon agreed to start removing the mesh. I’ve had another six ops so far. I’m on massive doses of morphine to try to dull the pain and I now walk with a stick.
“I’ve just turned 60 and feel my life is over.
“I can’t go anywhere unless I’m within sight of a toilet.”
Josephine, who used to work as a catering manager at Reid Kerr College in Paisley, said: “I’ve been made to feel as if I’m a nuisance and I’m the only one with these complications.
“When I read the Sunday Mail last week, I couldn’t believe so many others are going through the same thing.”
This article is courtesy of the Daily Record.
Friday, 12 April 2013
Sioux City doctor fined $7,500 for surgery error
The Iowa Board of Medicine has fined a Sioux City gynecologist for mistakenly removing a woman’s healthy ovaries during a hysterectomy. A civil suit also has been filed.
Dr. Kevin Hamburger, 50, was fined $7,500 for the incident.
Hamburger did not respond to messages at his office, Siouxland Women's Health Care. The office administrator, Julie Bartow, said Hamburger is still working at the practice. She would not comment about the situation.
It is the first time Hamburger has been cited by the board, which issues state medical licenses, since he became a doctor in 1993. The board in a statement said Hamburger apologized for the mistake.
Hamburger also is being sued for damages related to the July 29, 2011, incident. According to the lawsuit filed in April, patient Erin Rehan, 29, was told by Hamburger that her ovaries would not be removed during the procedure. A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus.
Rehan and her attorney, Paul Lundberg, did not respond to messages asking for comments about the lawsuit or the board's decision. A representative from Lundberg's office said he wouldn't comment on pending litigation.
Rehan is seeking damages of more than $10,000 for severe and permanent physical, mental and emotional injury. It accuses Hamburger of professional negligence and medical battery. A Nov. 19 trial is scheduled.
Attorney John Gray, who represents Hamburger, said he would not comment about the allegations.
The Board of Medicine announced the fine Thursday. It also requires Hamburger to submit a plan describing how he’ll avoid future errors.
This article is courtesy of Sioux City Journal.
Dr. Kevin Hamburger, 50, was fined $7,500 for the incident.
Hamburger did not respond to messages at his office, Siouxland Women's Health Care. The office administrator, Julie Bartow, said Hamburger is still working at the practice. She would not comment about the situation.
It is the first time Hamburger has been cited by the board, which issues state medical licenses, since he became a doctor in 1993. The board in a statement said Hamburger apologized for the mistake.
Hamburger also is being sued for damages related to the July 29, 2011, incident. According to the lawsuit filed in April, patient Erin Rehan, 29, was told by Hamburger that her ovaries would not be removed during the procedure. A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus.
Rehan and her attorney, Paul Lundberg, did not respond to messages asking for comments about the lawsuit or the board's decision. A representative from Lundberg's office said he wouldn't comment on pending litigation.
Rehan is seeking damages of more than $10,000 for severe and permanent physical, mental and emotional injury. It accuses Hamburger of professional negligence and medical battery. A Nov. 19 trial is scheduled.
Attorney John Gray, who represents Hamburger, said he would not comment about the allegations.
The Board of Medicine announced the fine Thursday. It also requires Hamburger to submit a plan describing how he’ll avoid future errors.
This article is courtesy of Sioux City Journal.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Woman sues Ohio clinic over failed abortion after delivering healthy 'miracle' baby
An Ohio woman is suing an abortion clinic after she says she made the painful decision to terminate her pregnancy because her life was in danger, only to discover she was still pregnant after the procedure.
The northeast Ohio clinic in a court filing denied Ariel Knights' allegations that doctors were negligent and failed to successfully perform the abortion she sought, eventually leading to the birth of her healthy baby daughter.
The Akron Women’s Medical Group and two doctors acknowledge Knights, of Cuyahoga Falls, sought an abortion March 3, 2012. However, they deny any negligence and seek to have the case dismissed, citing a long list of possible defenses.
“I believe my client absolutely met the standard of care and that this case has no basis to be in litigation,”attorney D. Cheryl Atwell, who represents the medical group and the doctors, said Monday.
Lawyers still are exchanging medical records, and Atwell said she couldn’t comment further.
The malpractice lawsuit was filed March 4 on behalf of 22-year-old Knights. Her attorney, James Gutbrod, said Monday the medical group’s legal response was general and he had no comment on it.
Knights has said she sought the abortion because she has a medical condition called uterine didelphys, resulting in a double uterus with individual cervices, and a doctor had told her that her pregnancy and her life could be threatened because the fetus was carried in an unstable uterus.
Knights tells the Akron Beacon Journal she agonized over the decision to terminate the pregnancy, but felt she had no choice because of her preschool-aged son.
“It was a decision I made because my life was in danger,” she told the paper in an interview March 15. “I was put in jeopardy. And I have a son that I am supposed to be taking care of.”
She learned about a week after the abortion procedure that she still was pregnant, according to the lawsuit alleging the defendants “were negligent and deviated from the appropriate standard of care.”
The lawsuit also indicates Knights was referred to a second abortion clinic after she found out she still was pregnant, but that clinic was unwilling to become involved in “somebody else’s mistake,” and she refused to return to the original clinic for a second abortion attempt.
Knights made a second appointment with the medical group but did not show up for it, according to the defendants’ filing. It doesn’t specify the date of the second appointment.
Knights says she spent the rest of her pregnancy in a state of constant fear.
“I can’t explain how I felt," she told the Akron Beacon Journal. "It was just a sense of being overwhelmed, wondering what happened to the baby, wondering what’s happening to me and what did (the clinic) think they did."
Knights says she considers her daughter her "miracle" baby, saying she does not like to think about what would have happened had the abortion been successful.
This article is courtesy of Fox News.
The northeast Ohio clinic in a court filing denied Ariel Knights' allegations that doctors were negligent and failed to successfully perform the abortion she sought, eventually leading to the birth of her healthy baby daughter.
The Akron Women’s Medical Group and two doctors acknowledge Knights, of Cuyahoga Falls, sought an abortion March 3, 2012. However, they deny any negligence and seek to have the case dismissed, citing a long list of possible defenses.
“I believe my client absolutely met the standard of care and that this case has no basis to be in litigation,”attorney D. Cheryl Atwell, who represents the medical group and the doctors, said Monday.
Lawyers still are exchanging medical records, and Atwell said she couldn’t comment further.
The malpractice lawsuit was filed March 4 on behalf of 22-year-old Knights. Her attorney, James Gutbrod, said Monday the medical group’s legal response was general and he had no comment on it.
Knights has said she sought the abortion because she has a medical condition called uterine didelphys, resulting in a double uterus with individual cervices, and a doctor had told her that her pregnancy and her life could be threatened because the fetus was carried in an unstable uterus.
Knights tells the Akron Beacon Journal she agonized over the decision to terminate the pregnancy, but felt she had no choice because of her preschool-aged son.
“It was a decision I made because my life was in danger,” she told the paper in an interview March 15. “I was put in jeopardy. And I have a son that I am supposed to be taking care of.”
She learned about a week after the abortion procedure that she still was pregnant, according to the lawsuit alleging the defendants “were negligent and deviated from the appropriate standard of care.”
The lawsuit also indicates Knights was referred to a second abortion clinic after she found out she still was pregnant, but that clinic was unwilling to become involved in “somebody else’s mistake,” and she refused to return to the original clinic for a second abortion attempt.
Knights made a second appointment with the medical group but did not show up for it, according to the defendants’ filing. It doesn’t specify the date of the second appointment.
Knights says she spent the rest of her pregnancy in a state of constant fear.
“I can’t explain how I felt," she told the Akron Beacon Journal. "It was just a sense of being overwhelmed, wondering what happened to the baby, wondering what’s happening to me and what did (the clinic) think they did."
Knights says she considers her daughter her "miracle" baby, saying she does not like to think about what would have happened had the abortion been successful.
This article is courtesy of Fox News.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Anguish of couple who lost IVF twins after death of son, 16, because of medical failings
After losing their only son Josh at the age of 16, Ian and Nikki Singleton were desperate to build a family again.
They went through 13 bouts of IVF before Mrs Singleton became pregnant again – this time with twins.
But an inquest yesterday heard how the birth turned to tragedy following a string of medical failings.
Mrs Singleton was rushed to hospital suffering from severe stomach pain just 30 weeks into her pregnancy.
After being transferred to another hospital and enduring an agonising wait to be treated her baby boy Reuben was stillborn and his twin sister Esme died the following day.
The hearing found medics had failed to spot Mrs Singleton, 49, had suffered a rupture to her uterus when she arrived at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital near Cardiff in July 2009.
Her condition worsened as she waited two hours for a Caesarean section that resulted in Reuben being stillborn and Esme showing no signs of life.
After 22 minutes of resuscitation Esme began breathing again but she had suffered such severe brain damage that the Singletons – who lost their son Josh to a brain haemorrhage – agreed to turn off her life support machine the next day.
Aberdare Coroner’s Court heard midwives had ignored the warning signs of Mrs Singleton’s condition despite the fact she was in severe pain.
Consultant gynaecologist Hatel Tejura said the lack of uterine activity and a foetal heartbeat should have sent alarm bells ringing then.
The inquest was being held into the death of Esme only because there are no inquests into the deaths of stillborn children.
It heard that when Mrs Singleton arrived at the Royal Glamorgan a midwife could only detect one heartbeat instead of the two there should have been.
But at this point at 12.40pm medics believed she was in premature labour and had not diagnosed a ruptured uterus.
There was then a two hour delay before a Caesarean section was performed in which time Esme is believed to have suffered severe brain damage.
Glamorgan coroner Louise Hunt recorded a narrative verdict saying: ‘Esme was well at 12.40pm – it is most likely there was a critical event then with things changing radically but not being appreciated by the medical staff. They have acknowledged that today.
‘Because it was not appreciated that she was in serious difficulties there was a considerable delay in doing a Caesarean section.
Esme was not delivered for two hours – more than enough for the damage to have been done.
‘She died from brain damage caused by the rupture which went undiagnosed in labour resulting in delay in the delivery.’
The inquest heard the local Cwm Taff Health Board had accepted failing in their standard of care and offered its apologies to the Singletons who were living near Cardiff at the time.
After the hearing Mrs Singleton, who now lives in Swindon, Wiltshire said: ‘This happened three years ago but the pain is still there and will never, ever go away.’
Her husband, 50, said: ‘We feel that Esme’s death was a mixture of incompetence, negligence and a cavalier attitude.’
The couple are pursuing a legal case against the hospital for negligence.
This article is courtesy the Daily Mail.
They went through 13 bouts of IVF before Mrs Singleton became pregnant again – this time with twins.
But an inquest yesterday heard how the birth turned to tragedy following a string of medical failings.
Mrs Singleton was rushed to hospital suffering from severe stomach pain just 30 weeks into her pregnancy.
After being transferred to another hospital and enduring an agonising wait to be treated her baby boy Reuben was stillborn and his twin sister Esme died the following day.
The hearing found medics had failed to spot Mrs Singleton, 49, had suffered a rupture to her uterus when she arrived at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital near Cardiff in July 2009.
Her condition worsened as she waited two hours for a Caesarean section that resulted in Reuben being stillborn and Esme showing no signs of life.
After 22 minutes of resuscitation Esme began breathing again but she had suffered such severe brain damage that the Singletons – who lost their son Josh to a brain haemorrhage – agreed to turn off her life support machine the next day.
Aberdare Coroner’s Court heard midwives had ignored the warning signs of Mrs Singleton’s condition despite the fact she was in severe pain.
Consultant gynaecologist Hatel Tejura said the lack of uterine activity and a foetal heartbeat should have sent alarm bells ringing then.
The inquest was being held into the death of Esme only because there are no inquests into the deaths of stillborn children.
It heard that when Mrs Singleton arrived at the Royal Glamorgan a midwife could only detect one heartbeat instead of the two there should have been.
But at this point at 12.40pm medics believed she was in premature labour and had not diagnosed a ruptured uterus.
There was then a two hour delay before a Caesarean section was performed in which time Esme is believed to have suffered severe brain damage.
Glamorgan coroner Louise Hunt recorded a narrative verdict saying: ‘Esme was well at 12.40pm – it is most likely there was a critical event then with things changing radically but not being appreciated by the medical staff. They have acknowledged that today.
‘Because it was not appreciated that she was in serious difficulties there was a considerable delay in doing a Caesarean section.
Esme was not delivered for two hours – more than enough for the damage to have been done.
‘She died from brain damage caused by the rupture which went undiagnosed in labour resulting in delay in the delivery.’
The inquest heard the local Cwm Taff Health Board had accepted failing in their standard of care and offered its apologies to the Singletons who were living near Cardiff at the time.
After the hearing Mrs Singleton, who now lives in Swindon, Wiltshire said: ‘This happened three years ago but the pain is still there and will never, ever go away.’
Her husband, 50, said: ‘We feel that Esme’s death was a mixture of incompetence, negligence and a cavalier attitude.’
The couple are pursuing a legal case against the hospital for negligence.
This article is courtesy the Daily Mail.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Surgeon who delivered David Cameron's baby Florence facing legal action
An NHS surgeon facing legal action from 60 female patients was allowed to work for two decades even though hospital authorities knew he was responsible for a string of blunders, it can be disclosed.
Rob Jones was even allowed to deliver Samantha and David Cameron’s fourth child, Florence, by caesarean section in August 2010 despite the fact that the hospital’s own investigations had identified his “significant surgical incompetence”.
The obstetrician and gynaecologist has been blamed for a series of catastrophic errors, including the death of a baby in January 2010, seven months before Mrs Cameron gave birth at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. By then midwives had tried to stop him working alone because of their fears.
In another case the hospital paid out £9million to a baby born brain damaged in 1993, after Mr Jones failed to spot warning signs in the mother’s medical condition. For years, colleagues warned that his patients were being put at risk, but an internal review decided it would be a “mammoth task” to compare his record with that of other surgeons.
On Saturday night Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, said the scandal highlighted the need for hospitals to hold doctors to professional standards, audit their performance, and publish the results. Now, lawyers acting for 60 women are preparing a multi-million-pound action against the hospital trust that employed Mr Jones from 1992 until last year.
The cases include:
He then retired and removed himself from the medical register — meaning he cannot face disciplinary procedures by the General Medical Council. However there were previously seven official reviews into Mr Jones’s professional competence — the first in 1997, when the hospital realised they faced more claims against him than any other obstetric consultant.
The hospital’s own reports show that on 23 different occasions concerns had been raised about his performance — but the problems were never properly examined. Sir Bruce said: “If a doctor doesn’t know what the hell he is doing, how can anyone help them or the patients they are treating?
“There is no excuse for any doctor or hospital not to examine performance properly.”
The final investigation followed an anonymous letter which was sent to Mr Cameron at Downing Street in June 2011 and passed on to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. That culminated in the publication last week of a series of damning reports into Mr Jones and the obstetrics and gynaecology services at the hospital.
Carole Gill, a college English lecturer whose daughter Maggie died in January 2010, is planning legal action after Mr Jones and other staff failed to spot acute pancreatitis during her pregnancy. Maggie died two days after being born with severe brain damage.
Miss Gill, 35, said: “My illness should have been picked up sooner. If it had been, things might have turned out very differently.”
The mother of a baby born with brain damage in 1993 has now received a £9million compensation payment. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said that had the signs of pre-eclampsia been spotted by Mr Jones, her son — in all likelihood — would have been born without any problems.
Mike Bird, a clinical negligence solicitor at the law firm Foot Anstey who represents 45 of the women threatening legal action, said yesterday that serious failings had been identified at the hospital in an official report published last week by Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. “Many of the women I act for have already contacted me to say how angry and upset they feel about the catalogue of missed opportunities and excuses they have seen in the report,” he said.
Although the concerns about Mr Jones were first officially raised in 1997 when he was made clinical director, and include obstetric cases, the trust’s inquiry only examined gynaecological cases between 2010 and 2012.
It found that 52 patients suffered complications, and an additional 57 women have been recalled for further examination. Lawyers and victims complain the review was far too limited and did not go back far enough.
The first investigation into Mr Jones was in 1997, when it was found he was recording a higher number of legal claims than his colleagues in obstetrics. Another investigation was held a year later. In 2001, a nurse highlighted 15 cases involving Mr Jones but no full investigation was undertaken after it was declared a “mammoth task” to go through records.
In 2007 there was another investigation, then in 2008, a review of treatment of 45 of Mr Jones’s patients found “significant surgical incompetence”. But the hospital’s then medical director was persuaded by Mr Jones not to take any further action. The report describes Mr Jones as “charming and disarming” in his efforts to save his career.
In January 2010, after Miss Gill’s baby died, he was suspended temporarily from practising obstetrics. He was allowed to return to such work in February 2010 although in July 2010, according to the report, there was still a “high level of concern”. A month later he delivered the Camerons’ baby.
The anonymous letter sent to Downing Street and passed on to the hospital was followed by two further reviews. The final report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in April 2012 concluded he should not return to work.
Martin Watts, chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, said: “On behalf of the trust I wish to unreservedly apologise to these women and their families for the pain, distress and anxiety caused by the practice of former obstetric and gynaecology consultant Mr Rob Jones.”
He said the review “confirms that concerns identified about some of Mr Jones’s practice should have been addressed with more vigour and urgency”.
A statement issued by the Medical Defence Union, on behalf of Mr Jones, said: “Mr Jones was pleased to note that of the 2,400 women whose care was reviewed, in nearly 95 per cent of cases there was no cause for concern. He is of course sorry for any patient who suffered a complication of surgery and to any patient who has had the stress of their care being reviewed.”
The union said Mr Jones had cooperated “fully” with inquiries, and was only made aware of two of the investigations — one by the trust, the other by the Royal College — and added: “He was unaware of concerns apparently expressed about his practice to Trust management at other times. Mr Jones has always been prepared to talk openly and constructively with the Trust about concerns relating to his practice.”
This article is courtesy of The Telegraph.
Rob Jones was even allowed to deliver Samantha and David Cameron’s fourth child, Florence, by caesarean section in August 2010 despite the fact that the hospital’s own investigations had identified his “significant surgical incompetence”.
The obstetrician and gynaecologist has been blamed for a series of catastrophic errors, including the death of a baby in January 2010, seven months before Mrs Cameron gave birth at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. By then midwives had tried to stop him working alone because of their fears.
In another case the hospital paid out £9million to a baby born brain damaged in 1993, after Mr Jones failed to spot warning signs in the mother’s medical condition. For years, colleagues warned that his patients were being put at risk, but an internal review decided it would be a “mammoth task” to compare his record with that of other surgeons.
On Saturday night Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, said the scandal highlighted the need for hospitals to hold doctors to professional standards, audit their performance, and publish the results. Now, lawyers acting for 60 women are preparing a multi-million-pound action against the hospital trust that employed Mr Jones from 1992 until last year.
The cases include:
- A mother whose baby died of severe brain damage two days after birth
- A woman who underwent a botched hysterectomy that left her in agony and enduring four further operations to repair the mistakes
- A grandmother left in pain for a decade after routine surgery went wrong
He then retired and removed himself from the medical register — meaning he cannot face disciplinary procedures by the General Medical Council. However there were previously seven official reviews into Mr Jones’s professional competence — the first in 1997, when the hospital realised they faced more claims against him than any other obstetric consultant.
The hospital’s own reports show that on 23 different occasions concerns had been raised about his performance — but the problems were never properly examined. Sir Bruce said: “If a doctor doesn’t know what the hell he is doing, how can anyone help them or the patients they are treating?
“There is no excuse for any doctor or hospital not to examine performance properly.”
The final investigation followed an anonymous letter which was sent to Mr Cameron at Downing Street in June 2011 and passed on to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. That culminated in the publication last week of a series of damning reports into Mr Jones and the obstetrics and gynaecology services at the hospital.
Carole Gill, a college English lecturer whose daughter Maggie died in January 2010, is planning legal action after Mr Jones and other staff failed to spot acute pancreatitis during her pregnancy. Maggie died two days after being born with severe brain damage.
Miss Gill, 35, said: “My illness should have been picked up sooner. If it had been, things might have turned out very differently.”
The mother of a baby born with brain damage in 1993 has now received a £9million compensation payment. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said that had the signs of pre-eclampsia been spotted by Mr Jones, her son — in all likelihood — would have been born without any problems.
Mike Bird, a clinical negligence solicitor at the law firm Foot Anstey who represents 45 of the women threatening legal action, said yesterday that serious failings had been identified at the hospital in an official report published last week by Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. “Many of the women I act for have already contacted me to say how angry and upset they feel about the catalogue of missed opportunities and excuses they have seen in the report,” he said.
Although the concerns about Mr Jones were first officially raised in 1997 when he was made clinical director, and include obstetric cases, the trust’s inquiry only examined gynaecological cases between 2010 and 2012.
It found that 52 patients suffered complications, and an additional 57 women have been recalled for further examination. Lawyers and victims complain the review was far too limited and did not go back far enough.
The first investigation into Mr Jones was in 1997, when it was found he was recording a higher number of legal claims than his colleagues in obstetrics. Another investigation was held a year later. In 2001, a nurse highlighted 15 cases involving Mr Jones but no full investigation was undertaken after it was declared a “mammoth task” to go through records.
In 2007 there was another investigation, then in 2008, a review of treatment of 45 of Mr Jones’s patients found “significant surgical incompetence”. But the hospital’s then medical director was persuaded by Mr Jones not to take any further action. The report describes Mr Jones as “charming and disarming” in his efforts to save his career.
In January 2010, after Miss Gill’s baby died, he was suspended temporarily from practising obstetrics. He was allowed to return to such work in February 2010 although in July 2010, according to the report, there was still a “high level of concern”. A month later he delivered the Camerons’ baby.
The anonymous letter sent to Downing Street and passed on to the hospital was followed by two further reviews. The final report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in April 2012 concluded he should not return to work.
Martin Watts, chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, said: “On behalf of the trust I wish to unreservedly apologise to these women and their families for the pain, distress and anxiety caused by the practice of former obstetric and gynaecology consultant Mr Rob Jones.”
He said the review “confirms that concerns identified about some of Mr Jones’s practice should have been addressed with more vigour and urgency”.
A statement issued by the Medical Defence Union, on behalf of Mr Jones, said: “Mr Jones was pleased to note that of the 2,400 women whose care was reviewed, in nearly 95 per cent of cases there was no cause for concern. He is of course sorry for any patient who suffered a complication of surgery and to any patient who has had the stress of their care being reviewed.”
The union said Mr Jones had cooperated “fully” with inquiries, and was only made aware of two of the investigations — one by the trust, the other by the Royal College — and added: “He was unaware of concerns apparently expressed about his practice to Trust management at other times. Mr Jones has always been prepared to talk openly and constructively with the Trust about concerns relating to his practice.”
This article is courtesy of The Telegraph.
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