Claire McDaid recently negotiated an out of court settlement for Ms R who sustained permanent bladder damage following Caesarean delivery in November 2016.

Ms R was pregnant and admitted to the hospital with raised blood pressure and abdominal pain. An emergency caesarean section was performed and Ms R’s twins were delivered safely.

Ms R was referred to Urology due to persistent pain when urinating as well as blood in the urine following delivery.  She also attended with a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist on 24 November 2016.  An MRI scan which confirmed a fistula between the uterus and bladder which necessitated laparotomy and fistula repair.  Ms R underwent further surgery which involved cystoscopy, insertion of ureteric stents, abdominal hysterectomy and repair of the fistula in January 2017.  During the procedure it was noted that the bladder was oversewn over the uterus and a large defect was noted in the old Caesarean scar. 

A serious adverse incident was declared and a report issued by the Trust in 2017. 

We received instructions from Ms R in 2017 and on receipt of her notes and records secured liability evidence from a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who concluded that although bladder injury had been appropriately warned of pre-operatively, the specific nature of the injury sustained indicated that the Caesarean section was performed below the standard of a reasonably competent Obstetrician and constituted a breach of duty. 

The expert went on to confirm that this led to persistent, distressing, uncomfortable blood and clots in the urine, the development of a fistula, the requirement for a laparotomy, hysterectomy and repair of fistula and a significantly protracted post-delivery recovery. 

High Court proceedings were issued accordingly.

We secured quantum reports from a urologist, psychiatrist, nursing care expert and forensic accountant, all of which allowed us to plead the case in respect of Ms R’s injuries and financial loss.   

Following service of the Defendant Trust’s Defence, we were invited to engage in joint negotiations with the Defendant and following discussions between the legal representatives, damages were agreed to reflect the level of pain and injury suffered by Ms R as well as a sum to reflect her financial loss insofar as she has been unable to return to full time work following delivery.

Ms R was pleased that her case resolved without the need to proceed to formal hearing of the case and stated:

“I am delighted with the outcome of my case and that I chose Worthingtons Solicitors to handle my case, in particular Claire McDaid who specialises in Medical Negligence. Claire worked tirelessly over the years to make sure I got the best possible outcome and I will be forever grateful to her for this. It was a very challenging time for me and my family but from the start to the end she understood my situation and was only ever a phone call away, feeling supported at all times. I have no doubt I chose the best person to handle my medical negligence case”.

Worthingtons Solicitors have a team of Solicitors with extensive experience in handling medical negligence cases involving all aspects of medical care.  If you believe that a hospital or doctor may have been negligent in providing advice or medical treatment to you which has resulted in injury, we will gladly provide advice on all aspects of medical negligence claims in Northern Ireland.

Contact Claire McDaid at our Belfast office on 028 9043 4015 or Nikki McConnell at our Newtownards office on 028 9181 1538 for advice and guidance on this process.