Answers for family whose mother died following Rob Jones surgery

Our medical negligence team in Truro, led by Mike Bird, is currently acting for a group of women who believe they were harmed by the rogue surgeon Mr Rob Jones, formerly a consultant gynaecologist at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mr Jones’ colleagues had repeatedly raised concerns about his high complication rates during his time at the Trust. After years of ignoring those concerns, the management at the Trust took action in 2012, Mr Jones was asked to retire from the Trust. Mr Jones’ patients were given the opportunity to have their treatment investigated by independent experts.

On 24 July 2017, one of the families involved received some answers about what happened to their wife and mother, who passed away in November 2015 after years of illness.

Following a hysterectomy in 1992, Kym Gambie developed devastating bladder incontinence. She then had major bladder surgery to try to improve her symptoms. This surgery failed. It caused serious complications, leading to many more operations, each more complex than the previous one, and stays in hospital. After 23 years of battling with poor health, Mrs Gambie passed away.

An inquest was opened to determine the cause of Mrs Gambie’s death. One of the issues which the Coroner had to consider was whether the complication which occurred at the hysterectomy was a factor in her death.

This question was particularly important to the family – and the public – because Mrs Gambie’s hysterectomy had been performed by Mr Jones

For Mrs Gambie and hundreds of other women treated by Mr Jones during his 20 years as a consultant in Cornwall, the revelations about Mr Jones confirmed doubts they had held ever since their treatment.

After a thorough investigation into Mrs Gambie’s care, medical experts concluded that there was no firm evidence that Mr Jones performed the hysterectomy negligently in this case. However likely it may have seemed to the family after all that had emerged about Mr Jones, it was not possible to prove, 25 years later, that he had performed the surgery negligently.

However, the experts were clear that the complication from the hysterectomy in 1992 had started a train of debilitating complications which ultimately resulted in Mrs Gambie’s death.

At the inquest, the Coroner for Cornwall reviewed the medical evidence. She gave a narrative verdict recording that the medical conditions which caused Mrs Gambie’s death in November 2015 had been triggered by the complications from the hysterectomy in 1992.

Mrs Gambie’s husband Matthew and son Nathan have spoken out about the tragedy of their wife and mother’s death. They say they remain angry about what she went through and the years of family life which were lost to illness and suffering – you can watch and read an interview with them here: http://www.cornwalllive.com. They have fought for explanations about what happened. The inquest marks the end of that fight.

If you or someone you know has been affected by similar issues, you can speak to us in confidence today on 08000 448 488.