Woman Wins Compensation for Basic Medical Error

A former nurse who had to give up her job after a routine operation went badly wrong has won a six-figure sum in compensation.

Donna Bowett, from Kidderminster, went for surgery at the Alexander Hospital in Redditch, which is managed by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. After the operation, she was still in serious pain, but doctors told her this was normal and she was allowed home, believing that the discomfort would ease with time. Several months later, however, she was still experiencing severe abdominal pain and had also lost a lot of weight.

Ms Bowett eventually had an MRI scan. While she was in the machine, she experienced severe stomach pain. Doctors decided to send her for a follow-up X-ray, which revealed that she had a seven-inch pair of forceps left inside her. Even after these were removed, she continued to suffer pain in the area where they had been lodged. She was forced to give up her job, as she found nursing too physically demanding, and take an administrative role.

After she brought proceedings against the Trust, on the ground of medical negligence, Ms Bowett was awarded a six-figure sum to compensate her for her loss of earnings and the mental and physical pain she had endured.