Welsh Knee Surgery Patients Face Concerns Over Quality Of Operations
Patients whose knee operations were subject to complications, according to a report by the British Orthopaedic Association, may be able to bring a group action for compensation against the special treatment centre at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset if their treatment is found to be negligent.
Chris Thorne, a solicitor with experience in this type of work at South West solicitors, Foot Anstey, said “One option would be to bring a claim as a group. This would have the great advantage of allowing patients to benefit from the support of other sufferers in a situation where bringing an individual claim may be impractical."
“Legal aid or conditional fee agreements may be available for this type of claim and we have nationally recognised experts available who have experience of bringing claims of this sort.”
The operations took place in Somerset as part of a scheme to reduce NHS waiting list for patients in Wales.
A report by the British Orthopaedic Association, published this week, showed that the complication rate for patients who had knee surgery in Weston was higher than expected. Almost 700 Welsh patients treated there are being called back for hospital check-ups following complaints of ongoing pain and discomfort. Corrective surgery has been necessary in some cases.
It is believed the problems were due to the way the replacement knees were inserted, with some misalignment of the new prosthetic joint being reported.
Any patient unhappy with their treatment can contact Chris Thorne at Foot Anstey Solicitors on 0800 0731 411
Published 01/02/2007
