Legal News
An unwanted operation on a retired paramedic has left him partially blinded and needing round the clock care has been awarded more than £1million. (16 May 2012)
Date: 16/05/2012
John Tunney, 63, suffering a massive brain haemorrhage due to a tumor in his brain was operated upon and the surgeons removed healthy tissue instead of the tumour.
The tumor which was found to be benign in a blood test reports revealed that it could have been treated with tablets. The reports were not checked before the operation was conducted.
Mr Tunney, who worked as a paramedic with West Midlands Ambulance Service for 23 years, has been awarded the seven-figure sum from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust after they admitted liability for the blunder.
He was awarded a long service award in 2005 and continued to work part-time two days a week after he retired the same year.
Mr Tunney, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, had a series of tests in 2008 after he suffered suspected thyroid problems.
Doctors at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield performed an MRI scan which revealed abnormalities around his pituitary gland and he was referred to a specialist at Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry.
Mr Tunney had a blood test to determine his hormone levels but doctors failed to check the results.
The results would have revealed he was suffering from prolactinoma - a benign condition which could have been easily controlled with tablets.
Mr Tunney underwent a biopsy on his pituitary gland on April 29, 2008, but suffered brain damage after the surgeon removed normal tissue instead of the tumour.
Mr Tunney's wife Pamela, 65, said their lives were completely devastated by a complete avoidable brain injury.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust admitted liability and today apologised to the family.
Meghana Pandit, chief medical officer from Walsgrave Hospital said on behalf of UHCW she was apologizing again to Mr Tunney and his family for the complications he suffered as a result of the treatment at the UHCW.
Timothy Deeming, a medical law expert said that the fact that the surgeon managed to remove perfectly healthy tissue rather than a sample of the tumour tissue was in itself, an appalling error.