The incident
Our client, a 27-year-old Council Worker, visited A&E after falling on to his outstretched hand/wrist while playing football.
He had swelling and bruising to the back of the hand. An x-ray showed no issues, and he was diagnosed with a sprained wrist. The client was placed in a splint for 2 weeks and a follow-up arranged.
A physiotherapy assessment indicated wrist instability and, as the client was still in pain, further investigations were needed. An appointment revealed tenderness around the scapholunate ligament, and an MRI was scheduled, which was reported as normal.
Following physiotherapy, the client continued to experience symptoms. Orthopaedic tests were carried out, but the diagnosis was unclear, so an arthroscopy was offered.
However, the arthroscopy was cancelled twice: once due to the surgeon having Covid-19 and a second time due to the surgery being booked at the wrong hospital.
The aftermath
Due to the delay in surgery, the client suffered ongoing pain in his wrist. He was unable to play football or go to the gym during this time. He also had to rely on others to take him to and from work when his wrist injury made it too painful to drive.
The case
The delayed surgery claim was handled by Trainee Lawyer, Charlotte Watson.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request confirmed that the average wait time for the surgery was 33 weeks for 80% of patients, meaning that the client should have undergone surgery before Covid-related cancellations.
The case outcome
Despite no admission of liability, we were able to negotiate a settlement of £3,000, recognising the pain, inconvenience and disruption caused by the delays in our client’s treatment.
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