Patients who suffered at the hands of jailed breast surgeon Ian Paterson are being invited to seek compensation for their experiences. Paterson is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding against ten patients. He carried out a vast number of unnecessary or incomplete breast operations and also misdiagnosed breast cancer.
To date over 750 victims have been awarded compensation, but until recently lawyers who had previously worked on behalf of Mr Paterson’s victims had been barred from opening new cases against the healthcare provider. In addition, there was an order which prevented lawyers who had previously acted for victims to pursue further claims against the healthcare provider.
Go-ahead given to new compensation scheme
However, Spire Healthcare in the West Midlands, where Paterson practiced, applied to the Royal Courts of Justice in London to allow new victims of the disgraced medic to call on solicitors previously involved in the case. This was finally given the go-ahead last week.
So, whilst many victims have already been awarded compensation, there are others who may not have been contacted yet. Potentially this could involve another 5,500 victims who know have a right to seek compensation against the convicted surgeon. Paterson was employed by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, and at the independent Spire Parkway, Solihull, and Spire Little Aston in Birmingham and had more than 11,000 patients across the sites.
Tragic story
Kiran Jalota, Head of Medical Negligence & Personal Injury explains. “We have acted for a number of victims of Paterson in the recent past and have plenty of experience in this particular matter. However, it appears that there may still be a lot more victims who have not yet had the opportunity to claim, so I urge you to get in touch, so that we can help you.
Kiran continues. We applaud the actions of Spire Healthcare and hope that this new scheme will help to draw a line under this tragic story that has affected so many people in the West Midlands. Hopefully by coming forward, it will be possible for other people, who have been injured, to get help, support, financial recompense and some much-needed closure.”
Kiran concludes. “Earlier this year several inquests were opened into the deaths of women treated by Mr Paterson. However, if there is some good news to be found in all of this, it is the fact that the government conducted an independent inquiry into Mr Paterson’s behaviour. Their findings included many recommendations to improve safety and quality in both the NHS and the independent sector. This means that in the future any treatment will be more transparent, with the wellbeing of patients remaining of paramount importance.”
Free initial meeting for support and advice
At Alsters Kelley, we are here to help you to seamlessly navigate the claims process. With years of experience, we aim to minimise the impact of the process and secure the compensation you may be entitled to.
We offer a free 30-minute appointment where we can support and guide you in the right direction. And thanks to our network of offices covering Coventry, Leamington, Nuneaton, Stratford-upon-Avon and Southam we are very accessible too.
For timely and quality advice, please contact Kiran Jalota head of Medical Negligence and personal Injury at Alsters Kelley Solicitors Ltd on 01926 356000 or email kiran.jalota@alsterskelley.com
Call now 01926 356 030 to arrange a free consultation with one of our experienced medical negligence lawyers at any of our six offices.
You can also join us at our Medical Negligence free drop-in sessions every third Wednesday of the month from our Nuneaton office.