Case studies

We settled a claim for damages against Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust after our client suffered prolonged pain as a result of the midwifery staff ignoring her continued hyperstimulation. Uterine hyperstimulation is a potential complication of the induction of labour defined as either a series of single contractions lasting two minutes or more, or a contraction frequency of five or more in 10 minutes.

We are investigating a claim for a lady who presented at A&E 16 weeks pregnant, having experienced bleeding throughout her pregnancy. A scan the previous week had revealed a large placenta. After waiting some time, our client was reviewed by a junior gynaecologist, who proceeded to perform a physical examination using forceps. We believe that in doing so, the junior doctor may have caused our client’s membranes to rupture.

We acted for a client whose ectopic pregnancy should have been diagnosed before she suffered a burst fallopian tube which required life-saving treatment. At five weeks pregnant, she experienced light bleeding and her GP found that her hCG levels had not doubled as would be expected with a healthy pregnancy. She was referred to an Early Pregnancy Unit at Wycombe Hospital and her GP raised the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. After an ultrasound scan found no evidence of an intrauterine or extrauterine pregnancy, she was told that she had had a complete miscarriage but that there was a possibility of a pregnancy of unknown location.

We settled a claim against the gynaecology team of a South West hospital for alleged consecutive failings in our client’s management over a three year period.

We settled a claim against East Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust for the mismanagement of our client’s antenatal care and failure to detect a genetic condition, mosaic trisomy 18 (also known as Edwards' syndrome).

We settled a claim against the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust for its failure to counsel a patient about the risks of sustaining further perineal trauma after developing a third degree anal sphincter tear during her first delivery which required surgical repair, following which she had a number of complications.

We have settled a claim against Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust for a husband who pursued a claim on behalf of the estate of his late wife. She had received negligent treatment from gynaecologist, Jayne Cockburn, and, as a result, had to undergo numerous unnecessary invasive operations causing her a great deal of pain and suffering.

We have settled a claim relating to the surgical evacuation of our client’s retained products of conception (ERPC), performed after she suffered a secondary postpartum haemorrhage. She bled again heavily following surgery, requiring emergency repeat evacuation when a considerable amount of remaining tissue was removed.

We have recently settled a claim against Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust after our client received negligent treatment from consultant gynaecologist Jayne Cockburn.

We are running a large number of clinical negligence claims against Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey relating to care provided by one of its former consultants, obstetrician and gynaecologist Jayne Cockburn. This latest claim formed part of an informal group action our team is pursing against the trust involving Miss Cockburn. She practised at Frimley Park Hospital until 2011 before officially resigning in December 2014 after it emerged that a number of her former patients had been recalled for review in July 2014 following a look-back exercise carried out by the trust. Nearly half of the patients who were contacted were advised by the doctors carrying out the review that the treatment provided by Miss Cockburn was ‘unnecessary’ and that ‘significant harm’ had been caused as a result.

We have recently settled one of several cases against Frimley Park Hospital in relation to care provided by consultant gynaecologist Jayne Cockburn, who over a period of many years recommended and performed unnecessary surgery on a number of patients.

We have represented a client in a claim against her partner’s GP, which despite being defended on a number of grounds, was settled successfully.