January 31, 2025

£150,000 for injuries suffered as a result of failures to treat the infection Streptococcus group A.

Success stories

Our maternal injury team secured £150,000 for injuries suffered to T as a result of failures to treat the infection Streptococcus group A following the delivery of her child.

Following vaginal delivery of her child, T was discharged home the same day. Two days later she was seen at home by the community midwife and reported she had a swollen and painful perineum.

The midwife failed to advise her of the signs and symptoms of infection. She was seen at home by the community midwife on two further occasions where it was noted she had a raised pulse and significant pain in her perineum and on both occasions, there was a failure to arrange a medical review. T continued to deteriorate and developed diarrhoea, abdominal pain, offensive vaginal discharge, and had difficulty passing urine, and found it difficult to walk around the house. She was admitted to hospital by ambulance where upon surgical review her uterus was found to be necrotic and filled with pus. She had surgery to remove her uterus and ovaries, which meant she was left infertile. Cultures were taken from the uterus and were positive for streptococcus group A.

As a result of her surgery, our client has been left infertile in circumstances where she wanted to have more children, and with extensive scarring. She also developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and for approximately one year, she suffered a depressive episode of mild severity and significant ongoing fatigue. The case was brought against the Trust for the failure to recognise developing signs of infection and arrange medical review. If medical review had been arranged, intravenous antibiotics could have been commenced which would have likely resolved our client’s infection and developing sepsis and she would have avoided the hysterectomy.


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