Women Receiving Settlements Over Medical Problems

A Liverpool hospital’s decision to offer settlements to hundreds of women whose incontinence problems were made worse by a surgeon has been welcomed by clinical negligence specialists at Irwin Mitchell.

Reports have revealed that Liverpool Women’s NHS Trust has admitted liability in a number of cases related to the work of George Rowland, who allegedly performed incorrect operations on many patients for around a decade up to 2007.

It is believed some women who were suffering minor symptoms of incontinence before seeing the surgeon were left with serious medical problems following treatment by him.

Clinical negligence experts at Irwin Mitchell represent a number of patients who have suffered as a result of errors during surgery, as well as the families of those who have died due to such problems.

Angela Kirtley, a Partner and medical law specialist at the firm’s Newcastle office, said: “All patients deserve to know that their wellbeing and safety is a fundamental priority for those tasked with treating them.

“However, stories like those which have emerged in relation to the work of George Rowland show the devastating impact that a failure to ensure this can have.

“It is welcome to see that many of those affected by these problems are securing justice and I hope that the settlements also encourage anyone else who has suffered similar issues to come forward.

“Lessons need to be learnt from this and I hope that the trust involved is able to provide evidence that patient safety has improved since these high-profile issues.”