Man wins £300,000 NHS payout after needless surgery ruined life

A MAN who endured unnecessary surgery which “ruined his life” has won a legal battle for nearly £300,000 compensation with a Yorkshire hospital.

Vincent Laurie, 56, of Wakefield, went under the knife at Pinderfields Hospital in the city in 2007 after he suffering a number of embarrassing and painful symptoms following haemorrhoid surgery. But he later needed two colostomies and part of his stomach removed.

Experts from legal firm Irwin Mitchell, who represented the former construction worker, say an investigation revealed he had not been given adequate information about his treatment options and that surgery was not necessary.

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He has now secured a £290,000 care package in an out-of-court settlement after hospital chiefs accepted the surgeon did not discuss alternative treatment options with him and made decisions about his care without his informed consent.

The colostomy operations had such an impact he was unable to work and his relationship with his wife broke down.

He said: “When my experts told me what should have happened I felt really angry that further tests were not carried out and that I wasn’t offered any alternative to surgery because all of this pain and suffering could have been prevented – it’s ruined my life.

“I’ve felt incredibly low over the past few years and it has been very hard to come to terms with my condition – I’ve lost my confidence, my wife, my home, job and self-respect.”

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Richard Jenkins, medical director at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said it had apologised.

“We are committed to making sure that patients are able to make informed decisions on the treatment options available to them and it is important that we learn lessons from this case,” he said.