Medical Negligence Leaves British Soap-Star Unable to Walk After Botched Hip Operation
Posted: February 11, 2022
Posted in: Hip Injuries Medical Negligence NHS Claims
As further proof that negligent medical care can affect anyone, a 63-year-old “Coronation Street” star from Manchester has had to learn to walk again after a botched hip operation. After a consultant described the surgery – which left her in dismay for months – as rarely successful for women her age, Beverley Callard is suing the hospital which carried out the procedure.
Callard, who plays Liz McDonald on the show, suddenly left the program after taking a two-week sabbatical to have routine keyhole surgery on her damaged hip, and some time to recover. The surgery was for a minor “niggle in my hip” which was meant to be a simple procedure to repair soft tissue inside Callard’s hip. She has been known for making fitness videos in the 1990s and led a very fit and active lifestyle.
The actress was apparently not informed of the risk, or likelihood of the success, of the procedure. But more glaringly, the doctors had downplayed the severity of her situation, and proposed treatment unfitting of her needs. These factors combined led to the botched hip operation, which Callard thought, would leave her in a wheelchair.
Her GP, whom she visited in March 2020, though her issue would be easily remedied, referred her to a consultant. The consultant performed scans on Callard a few days later, confirmed she only needed a minor operation – which followed around a week later. Callard had been told by nurses that her procedure had gone “really well” and was sent on her way to recover at home.
Only a few days later, the hip pain began to be severe, and only got worse once she had her stitches removed a week later. At this point, the consultant reviewed her case. He informed Callard that her procedure didn’t, in fact, go well at all. They had botched the hip operation. Once inside her hip, during the keyhole procedure, her hip had crumbled and required further operations to fix.
Unfortunately for Callard, this was transpiring during the first wave of COVID-19 infections that ravaged across the UK. She was told that despite her case being urgent, lockdowns and pandemic measures were making it difficult to secure her an appointment. She was sent away again, this time with painkillers.
Callard said her pain, which she endured over the course of several weeks, was insufferable.
“It was a burning and shooting pain up and down my leg. I couldn’t get comfortable seated, standing or laying. I couldn’t sleep. I was in tears for days. I had absolutely no control over my body – there was nothing I could do to get better.”
Callard continuously tried contacting her consultant for an update on her follow-up to fix the botched hip operation. She was repeatedly being told it would be a couple of weeks, despite surgeries of these type continuing under the national COVID-19 precautions.
After months of suffering, July came around, and Callard received a call from the hospital planning the procedure. They informed her that her consultant “wasn’t around” and was told she would need to go to a different hospital, one she had to find herself.
Fortunately for Callard, she was friends with a well-connected trauma surgeon. He said all aspects of her botched hip operation were setting off “every alarm bell in his head.” He organised an appointment with a new consultant the very next day. The new doctor performed scans on her, who revealed she needed major reconstructive surgery to repair the damage.
The consultant informed her that she had bone rubbing upon bone and that “in his opinion, I shouldn’t have had the first operation.” According to the doctor, procedures, like the one Callard had, are rarely successful, and decline significantly in success with age. A 27-year-old might have a 27% chance of achievement. But She was 63. The original ordeal could have been solved with just injections.
Callard was given a hip replacement on the 20th of July, which had a positive result. But she is still reeling from the nerve and muscle damage caused by the original, botched hip operation.
“It was a different type of pain. I knew I was on the road to getting better. Now I’m learning how to walk on both legs again.”
Have you Suffered from a Botched Hip Operation?
Stories like Beverley Callard’s aren’t uncommon in the UK. Medical negligence affects thousands of people across Britain, and the long-term ramifications for patients can be disastrous. If you’ve suffered from a botched hip operation, or any other form of medical negligence – we can help.
Contact our expert legal team for a free assessment of your case. We’ll give a realistic prospect of your success, as well as how much in personal injury compensation you could be awarded, and if you can claim on a no win, no fee* basis. Contact us on 01615 168 871^ and start your claim today.
« Production line worker suffers tinnitus after accident at work
