A 56-year-old man experienced a sudden ripping pain in his shoulder which worsened over a number of days and progressed into him feeling ill and sweating profusely. He also began experiencing reduced function in his hand and fingers. Despite attending A&E at Luton and Dunstable University Hospitals, the client was told that his symptoms showed no signs of urgency, and he was sent home. Around 3 weeks after the initial pain began, our client attended a private clinic where an MRI scan was carried out. He was diagnosed with Septic Arthritis and urgent surgery was carried out the next day.

Unfortunately, the client has been left with permanent nerve damage due to the condition not being picked up and treated sooner. He was also told that if his condition had been left untreated for much longer, he would have become paralysed and died within a week.

The client no longer has any meaningful function in his left hand and cannot grip properly with his right. This restricts his day-to-day activities and hobbies. After significant negotiations, £135,000 was obtained for our client in an out of court settlement, plus costs and deductions payable to the Department for Work and Pensions.