Bowel and bladder damage compensation
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If you have suffered bowel or bladder damage because of someone else’s actions our specialist medical negligence solicitors are here to help.
Suffering bowel or bladder damage can have a serious and debilitating impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. It can impact their ability to live a full and rounded life, to work and socialise and may lead to ongoing pain. It may cause incontinence and a huge amount of inconvenience and embarrassment.
When these things happen as a result of someone else’s negligence, our solicitors can help people to make a claim to help them manage their new changed lives and compensate for their suffering.
For an informal, no obligation discussion of your situation do feel free to get in touch. We’re happy to advise on the ways we can help and we offer no win no fee arrangements for the reassurance of our clients.
Common bowel and bladder issues where negligence is a factor
Our solicitors are very experienced in helping people who suffer bowel or bladder damage due to an accident or error.
Common circumstances that result in bowel or bladder damager where negligence is a factor include:
- medical or surgical error
- not getting the right care whilst giving birth
- assault
- a road collision or other form of accident
- workplace injury
- an undiagnosed or untreated tumour
- spinal damage
- nerve damage
- Cauda Equina Syndrome
Common types of bowel and bladder damage are:
- An undiagnosed and untreated tumour
- Surgical damage
- Spinal damage
- Nerve damage
- Cauda Equina
How do I know if I have a bladder or bowel compensation claim?
If you have suffered bowel or bladder damage and believe it may have been avoidable you may have a claim.
We can advise you on how to seek answers if your injury follows medical treatment or a delay in medical treatment.
If you have had an accident and it was entirely or partially someone else’s fault, you may also have a claim.
For adults with full mental capacity there is usually a three year time limit in which to bring a claim, beginning from either the date of the negligence or the date you became aware of negligence.
For injuries to children and those without full mental capacity, the time limits are different.
A specialist solicitor can help you to prove fault and to understand and access better care and assistance equipment.
We can advise you on what to do if you think you may have a claim and when to get a solicitor involved. Do contact us.
Bladder surgery compensation
Our solicitors are experienced in helping people when their surgery has gone wrong and has resulted in bladder injury.
This can include perforations of the bladder, ruptures to it and prolapses. We can also help in trans-vaginal tape (TVT) and mesh claims.
It may be the case that you were having a procedure involving your bladder that was not properly carried out or that your bladder was affected when different surgery went wrong. That could result from a Caesarean section or hysterectomy, for example.
It can also be the case that bladder surgery is required due to an issue that was not diagnosed when it should have been and the delay in treatment for this caused bladder damage (such as cancer diagnosis delay).
Issues that may result from bladder injury include:
- infection and resultant peritonitis
- bleeding
- urinary retention
- blockage of the urethra,
- bladder distention
If you suspect your bladder was damaged as a result of surgery or other medical negligence we can help you to begin to collect the facts around your case and assess if there is a likelihood of gaining an acceptance of fault or proving negligence.
For many people, compensation claims are as much about getting answers as they are about accessing financial support to help deal with the repercussions of what has happened to them.
Medical negligence bladder injury - catheterisation
Bladder injury can result from the use of catheters either due to infection, incorrect insertion or management.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) caused by catheter use are one of the most common infections in hospitals and sometimes they’re unavoidable. In some cases, though, infection results from negligence and may lead to further complications such as bladder damage. An untreated UTI or cystitis may also lead to kidney damage.
Catheters may also lead to bladder stones, which again are sometimes unavoidable and sometimes the result of mismanagement. This is especially the case for indwelling catheters that remain in place continuously such as when someone has a spinal injury. Surgery may be needed to remove bladder stones.
Bowel injury compensation
Bowel injury compensation is available when you have been hurt as the result of someone else’s action or inaction – whether that be due to accident, assault or clinical failings.
Where clinical negligence is concerned, failures in treatment of bowel conditions can have very severe and long-term consequences.
It may be that a doctor did not recognise your symptoms as being related to the bowel and failed to act quick enough or that your bowel was affected when you were having unrelated treatment, medication or surgery.
Delays or failures in bowel cancer diagnosis or treatment are one of the issues that can result in bowel damage, bowel (faecal) incontinence or faecal urgency.
Mistakes in surgery could mean you are left with long term reliance on medical interventions to create alternatives to passing faeces via the back passage, such as colostomy or ileostomy.
Failures in treatment of a perforated bowel can be life threatening, creating a high risk of septicaemia – as can errors relating to a blocked or twisted bowel.
However your bowel was injured, if someone else was to blame, we can help.
ERIC FOUND LIFE WITH A STOMA VERY DIFFICULT AND HIS WIFE PROVIDED HIM WITH A LOT OF HELP AT HOME . HOWEVER, SHE TOO BECAME ILL AND STRUGGLED TO SUPPORT HIM.
Failed rectum surgery led to £800,000 compensation settlement
Our medical negligence solicitors secured £800,000 in compensation for a man who was left with permanent problems following surgery that resulted from ulcerative colitis.
An ileostomy that was intended to be temporary after the first stage of the operation became permanent and our client was left to rely on a stoma bag to collect his faeces from the opening in his abdomen. In addition, there was an ongoing cancer risk because a rectal stump was left behind during the operation.
The stoma leaked frequently, was noisy and sometimes smelly. Our client, who had previously taken pride in his appearance was only able to wear tracksuit bottoms due to the discomfort of a rigid waistband.
He avoided leaving the house, became depressed and was reliant on his wife’s help to manage. She then became ill herself.
Our solicitors were able to secure an early part payment of compensation to help the couple before the entire claim was settled. The interim payment of £100,000 helped pay for care and support at home before the final £800,000 settlement was reached.
How much compensation will I get for bowel or bladder injury?
The amount of compensation awarded for bowel and bladder injuries varies depending on the specific impact those injuries have had on an individual and the financial expenses and/or losses the injury has or will lead to.
Compensation settlements award ‘special damages’ which are designed to cover the individual costs incurred as a result of an injury such as medical costs, home adaptation costs and loss of earnings.
In addition there is a ‘general damages’ element to compensate for the pain and suffering caused. This element is usually paid in accordance with Judicial College Guidelines.
The guidelines indicate the following bowel and bladder damage amounts for the general damages aspect of claims:
| Description of bowel/bladder injury | Guideline general damages amount*
*note this will be paid in addition to special damages which also form part of a claim and may far exceed general damages |
| Bowel and bladder: | |
|
Double incontinence (complete loss of bowel and bladder function and control) with medical complications |
Up to £172,860 |
| Bowel: | |
| Total loss of bowel function and dependence on colostomy | Up to £140,870 |
| Faecal urgency and incontinence persisting after surgery that causes embarrassment and distress, typically following injury giving birth | In the region of £75,000 |
| Injury causing impairment of bowel function, often resulting in temporary colostomy, disfiguring scars and/or restrictions on employment and diet | £41,850 to £65,440 |
| Bladder: | |
| Serious loss of control with pain | £60,050 to £75,010 |
| Where there has been recovery but there is some long-term interference with function | £21,970 to £29,380 |
Bowel and bladder compensation frequently asked questions
- What is clinical negligence?
- Will my medical negligence claim be successful?
- How do you prove a bowel or bladder compensation claim?
- How long will the case last?
- Does claiming compensation take money from the NHS?
- Will my doctors treat me differently if I make a claim?
- Will I get an apology?
- What happens if I die before the case concludes?
- How will I fund a compensation claim?
- Why choose Enable Law?
Help for people with bowel and bladder damage
There are a number of charities that offer help, advice and support to people affected by bowel and bladder damage, including carers.
They include:
