Court Aids Injured Nurse to Achieve Her Dream of Motherhood

A nurse who suffered years of agony following botched surgery at an NHS hospital has won almost £650,000 in compensation for her suffering. The settlement includes more than £50,000 to assist her in achieving her greatest wish – to become a mother.

The woman, aged in her 30s, underwent delicate abdominal surgery in 2005 but endured grave complications which have blighted her life ever since. She has undergone 23 operations under general anaesthetic 'in an attempt to put matters right'. Plunged into depression by her constant medical problems, she was distraught when she was told that her fertility had also been compromised.

The woman brought a personal injury claim against the NHS trust which ran the hospital on the grounds that the 2005 operation was both unnecessary and negligently performed. The trust admitted full liability two weeks before the case got to court.

The High Court found that the woman was 'exceptionally focused' on having children with her 64-year-old partner and ruled that everything possible should be done to help the couple start a family. She was awarded £16,000 to pay for IVF cycles and almost £40,000 to cover the cost of the private delivery of the two children she is so desperate to have.

The overall award includes £165,000 for the woman's 'pain, suffering and loss of amenity' and more than £200,000 for her future loss of earnings.

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