Accident Claims & Personal Injury Lawyers Scotland Blog

New evidence has emerged which shows that around 7,000 more women in the UK may be victims of the PiP scandal caused by a French breast implant manufacturer, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has announced. These women will be eligible for the same NHS care as announced in January.

French authorities had previously advised that only PiP breast implants that were used after 2001 may have been made with unauthorised silicone gel. Following an investigation by the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the French authorities have now reported that PiP implants made before 2001 may also contain unauthorised silicone gel.

This means an extra 7,000 women, who had PiP implants before 2001, could be affected. About one in five breast implants need replacing within ten years, whatever the make, so it is unlikely that all these 7,000 women still have the same PiP implants.

The independent expert group – led by the NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh – continues to advise that there is not enough evidence to recommend routine removal of PiP breast implants given that this would mean many women having to have surgery.

However, the government has recommended that if women are concerned they should speak to their surgeon or GP. The NHS will support removal of PIP implants if, after this consultation, the patient still has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so. The NHS will replace the implants if the original operation was done by the NHS.

The government expect the private sector to do the same for their patients. It believe that private providers have a duty to take steps to provide appropriate after-care to patients they have treated. If a clinic that implanted PiP implants no longer exists or refuses to care for their patient – where that patient is entitled to NHS services, the NHS will support the removal of PiP implants where clinically necessary.

A 21-year-old woman from Fife has been awarded just under £62,000 in compensation for a medical error that led to the loss of her two front teeth as a child, reports STV.

The woman had attended the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy when she was six for a routine operation to remove her tonsils. When she woke up after the surgery, she found her two front adult teeth had been knocked out. Attempts were made to re-root the teeth, but these were ultimately unsuccessful.

Since then, she has undergone a number of different treatments, and faces the prospect of more treatment in the future. She also claims she was bullied as a child because of her teeth.

The health authority had admitted liability for the incident, but disputed the £100,000 damages claim. According to STV, a civil jury at the Court of Session awarded her £38,000 for her pain and suffering, £8500 for services and £15,300 for future dental costs.

The Department of Health has published the terms of reference for two reviews established following the recent concerns about PIP implants.

The first review, led by Lord Howe, the Minister for Quality, will establish what happened in the UK when the MHRA and Department of Health learnt about the situation with PiP implants in France. Lord Howe will submit a report to the Health Secretary by the end of March.

The second review will be led by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS Medical Director, and will look at whether the cosmetic surgery industry needs to be more effectively regulated. This review will take around a year to complete given the complexities of the issues. He will aim to give a report to the Health Secretary by March 2013.

In particular, it will look at:

A 15-year-old boy has been awarded £6.5 million to meet the costs of his care requirements after a hospital error led to him suffering severe brain damage shortly after birth, reports the BBC.

Ewan Waker was sent home from hospital by midwives at Harold Wood Hospital in Havering, despite blood tests revealing that he had very low blood sugar levels. The severity of his condition was only picked up when a community midwife visited him and his mother at home.

The error led to Ewan suffering severe brain damage and needing specialist care for the rest of his life.

A National Enquiry has found that only half (48%) of high risk surgical patients received good care in UK hospitals; this is a group of patients who are already known to be at an increased risk of death and post-operative complications.

A report published by the Gas Safety Trust has revealed a dramatic rise in the number of deaths resulting from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the UK since 2010.

A father and his eleven year old son are suing Raigmore hospital in Inverness for over £200,000 in compensation after the death of the boy's mother and the baby girl she was carrying, reports the Scotland on Sunday.

A man is seeking compensation from the NHS after brain tissue was removed unnecessarily during surgery, reports the Guardian.

A report by NHS London has indicated that over 500 people a year die unnecessarily in London hospitals because of a reduced availability of consultants at weekends, reports the BBC.

A woman with spina bifida who had to spend over two years in hospital after medics failed to spot an infection developing in a pressure sore has been awarded £500,000 in compensation, reports the Daily Mail.

Recent figures released by the Ministry of Justice have revealed that injury compensation worth over £10 million has been paid to prison inmates over the past five years, reports the Independent.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has agreed an out-of-court settlement in respect of an unnamed boy who was left paralysed from the neck down after an incident at birth, reports the BBC. Unusually, the settlement includes periodical payments that will be made over the boy's lifetime.

Negligence claims against doctors increased during 2010, with the sharpest rise seen in claims against GPs - up by almost 20%, reports the Telegraph.

A six-year-old Norfolk boy has won £4.6 million in compensation after incurring serious brain damage during his birth in 2004, reports the BBC.