Settlement for man paralysed
after doctors failed to correctly
monitor him following routine
operation
Stephen Onley, a social worker from
Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, who once
cared for people with spinal injuries, has
received a £2m settlement from the NHS
after his own injuries left him paralysed
from the waist down because doctors
failed to correctly monitor him after a
routine hip operation.
The settlement will enable him to adapt
his property, build a hydrotherapy
pool, buy wheelchairs and equipment,
an adapted car and continue with his
therapy. He will also receive annual
payments to pay for his required daily
care and support, throughout his lifetime.
Problems first began when Stephen underwent routine resurfacing surgery on his right hip. Whilst under general anaesthetic,
doctors inserted a spinal epidural to help control post-operative pain.
Even though medics would have been well aware that a spinal epidural can cause a patient’s blood pressure to drop post-
operatively, in the hours that followed, routine blood pressure checks were missed. By the following day Stephen’s blood pressure
had fallen dangerously low, resulting in a lack of blood to his spinal cord, which caused irreparable damage.
Stephen said: “As a result of the mistakes the hospital made through not
monitoring my blood pressure, I will never walk again. My lack of mobility
has meant that I had developed awful pressure sores and for long
periods of time throughout the past five years I have been virtually
bedridden. I am now completely reliant upon my wife who has to
care for me round the clock. The settlement gives me the peace of
mind that I will be able to access the rehabilitation and therapies
I need to help me live as independently as possible.”
Lindsay Tomlinson, a Partner and specialist medical negligence
lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, representing him,
said: “Sadly mistakes were made which where wholly avoidable
and Stephen will now need daily care and support for the rest
of his life. Although no amount of money will ever turn back
the clock for Stephen, we are pleased to be able to secure a fair
settlement to provide Stephen with the financial support he
requires paying for adaptations to his house as well as the special
equipment, care and rehabilitation needed to help rebuild his life.”
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