The delay was caused by a Physiotherapist employed by an NHS Trust not prioritizing her for an urgent MRI scan which should have been conducted at the very least within 24-48 hours of her presenting with the symptoms of severe back and bilateral leg pain with occasional numbness in her genitals.
By the time the scan was conducted, four weeks after presenting to the Hospital with the symptoms, our client had developed a massive centrally prolapsed disc at L4/L5. Although she was operated on within a short period of time preventing her progression into CESR (retention), severe injuries had been sustained with the nerves in her spinal cord becoming compressed causing irreparable nerve damage and leaving the lady with an insensate bladder requiring self-catheterisation daily, an insensate bowel and complete loss of sexual sensation.
The NHS Hospital Trust defended the claim contending that occasional genital numbness was not a red flag indication for Cauda Equina Syndrome, that CES had not occurred and that all our client's physical problems were acceptable post-surgical complications.
Just two days before a 3-day trial was due to commence, and with no offers to settle having been made by the NHSLA until the week before the trial, Garratts were successful in negotiating agreement for damages to be paid to our client in the total sum of £241,164.92.
