NHS pays damages to woman who contracted MRSA

A National Health hospital in the UK has been forced to pay damages to a patient who contracted the superbug MRSA.

The woman, Kitty Cope, 87, won "substantial damages" after the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, South Wales, admitted it had not followed its own guidelines on infection control.

Mrs Cope contracted the infection after a hip replacement operation in February 2001, and her new hip had to be removed.

In what lawyers say is the first case of its kind, she took legal action against Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, claiming it had allowed her to contract MRSA by failing to implement its policies and treat the infection appropriately.

Mrs Cope, who was left permanently disabled, settled her case out of court, and intends to use the award to install a walk-in bath and a stairlift at her home.

Before the operation Mrs Cope was an active bowls player and had hoped the operation would restore her mobility after she developed osteoarthritis.

She hopes that the hospital will learn from their mistakes and in future will follow its own policies and ensure that this does not happen to anyone else.

Her lawyer, Stephen Webber, regards this as a landmark settlement, which will make it possible for injured claimants to obtain their rightful compensation if they suffer injuries following the contraction of MRSA.

There have been previous settlements in cases of inadequate treatment of MRSA, but this is believed to be the first case of an admission that the contraction of MRSA was avoidable.

He says the case is a wake-up call to hospitals to ensure that they have adequate infection-control policies in place, and if all hospitals adhere to those policies, advised by infection control specialists, a reduction in the rates of MRSA infections should be seen.

Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust says it accepts that there were some failings in relation to the care provided to Mrs Cope at the time, and is pleased a settlement has now been reached.

According to Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, hospitals now recognise the seriousness of dealing with MRSA, but they must now realise when they have failed to implement their policies, they could be faced with paying very substantial damages.

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly government, which runs the NHS in Wales, says rates of healthcare-related infections are lower in Wales than in England and Scotland.