Jenny Hawkes

A claim arising out of the death of a 48 year old man due to failure to investigate and treat coronary artery disease. The deceased attended Medway Maritime Hospital after collapsing at a 5-aside football match. He was initially put on the coronary pathway but then downgraded and discharged. A further opportunity to investigate coronary artery disease and treat with a stent was missed. The deceased suffered a fatal heart attack two months later. The claim was made on behalf of the widow and three children and approved in the High Court.

Damages: £500,000

The claimant was diagnosed with symptomatic gallstones and underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal surgery). The surgeon erroneously cut the bile duct and this was not recognised the time of surgery. Mrs F was readmitted to hospital requiring emergency surgery and spent time in ICU. She had a prolonged recovery, suffered a hernia and was at risk of future complications. She also suffered a psychiatric injury.

Damages: £138,000

In this case, the claimant was not provided with informed consent in relation to her risk of suffering a third degree tear during her second pregnancy and labour. Had she been properly informed of the increased risks due to suffering a tear in her first labour, she would have opted for caesarean section. The claimant suffered urinary incontinence.

Damages: £150,000

The claimant suffered a stroke following a failure by the defendant to refer for a carotid ultrasound scan. The claimant suffered right sided weakness affecting his mobility as well as difficulty with speech. He required single storey accommodation, significant care and would be reliant on a wheelchair later in life.

Damages: £700,000

A claim arising out of negligent elbow surgery leading to chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

Damages: £125,000

A claim on behalf of a widow whose 77 year old husband died after being misdiagnosed with rectal cancer. Jenny represented the family at the Inquest where the Coroner concluded that further deeper biopsies could have revealed that a rectal mass was not cancerous. The deceased underwent chemo-radiotherapy and surgery and died.

Damages: £65,000

Jenny acted for a mother who suffered a stillbirth due to repeatedly delayed induction of labour and inappropriate admission to a midwifery led birthing centre rather than an obstetric led unit. Damages were recovered to enable the claimant to undergo IVF and obtain private psychiatric treatment for PTSD.

Damages: £72,000

The claimant suffered severe psychiatric injury after a failure by the trust’s anaesthetist to follow infection control procedures; the anaesthetist failed to change his gloves after a procedure on another patient. Liability was admitted. The claimant had to undergo tests to rule out HIV and was unable to return to her job as a business development manager.

Damages recovered: £487,000

The claimant had surgery to remove breast implants that had ruptured. The surgery was successful but at subsequent follow ups, the claimant complained of large swollen and painful left breast. An aspiration drew blood consistent with a haematoma. However, the claimant was advised that it would settle in time and was discharged. The claimant’s breast remained swollen and painful and she eventually underwent evacuation of a large haematoma and capsulectomy 13 months later following re referral to hospital by her GP.

Damages: £85,000

The defendant failed to identify a mass in the right kidney on MRI scans on three separate occasions. The deceased was diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer and brain metastases and died leaving behind a widow and two teenage children. But for the five year delay in diagnosing the tumour, the deceased would have received curative treatment and survived.

Damages: £400,000

Jenny represented the claimant, a type 1 diabetic, in a case arising out of a delay in diagnosis and treatment of a foot ulcer leading to a below knee amputation. The claimant’s diabetic control was very poor and the defendant argued the amputation was inevitable. A settled was achieved on the basis of a five year acceleration in the claimant needing a below knee amputation.

Damages: £150,000

Jenny acted for the widow of Mr K at a 4 day Inquest and subsequent clinical negligence claim. Mr K sadly died following numerous missed opportunities to diagnose discitis due to a dialysis line infection.

Damages: £80,000