Weight Loss Surgery Claims

The number of patients undergoing weight loss surgery shows no sign of slowing down, with procedures such as gastric banding and stomach bypass operations now becoming fairly commonplace.

For many, these options are a last resort when all else has failed, so if things go wrong the impact can be devastating. In some cases, the negligence of a medical professional may have led to complications. The expert Medical Negligence solicitors at Jackson Lees may be able to help you make a claim.

We have over 25 years of Medical Negligence experience and have acted for thousands of clients across England and Wales. 

We offer our initial consultation free of charge and we can take your case on using a confidential fee agreement, also known as ‘no win, no fee.’

If you could like further information please call us on 0151 282 1700 or complete our online enquiry form.

Who We Can Help

Medical Negligence can affect weight loss surgery procedures in a number of ways, from the initial advice right through to your aftercare. We have successfully acted for a number of clients who have had concerns about potentially negligent care relating to weight loss surgery. Common concerns include:

• Lack of consent for treatment – Like every patient, you must be fully aware of what you are agreeing to, including any possible risks, side effects and potential alternatives.
• Errors during surgery – weight loss surgery is incredibly complicated, and the consequences if it goes wrong can be very serious. We can help you if it is discovered that your surgeon made errors during the surgery.In some circumstances, this may be because the surgeon was inexperienced and did not have the necessary expertise or experience to perform the procedure.
• Poor quality aftercare – Your recovery from Weight Loss Surgery must be carefully monitored, as a number of complications may only become apparent after the surgery has been performed. If you are not properly looked after or informed of what you need to do, you may become very unwell.

As well as the physical distress caused, we are also aware of the psychological issues such problems can bring about. Many patients will have been looking forward to the associated health benefits of gastric bypass surgery and felt excited about planning their future, so it can be very upsetting if this prospect does not materialise. In some circumstances, patients are significantly worse off than they were before the surgery.

Our Medical Negligence solicitors are sensitive to your needs, and will help you discover exactly why your treatment went wrong. We will guide you through the steps necessary to secure the practical financial support that will help you recover, helping you achieve the right thing in the right way.

Case Study

One of our clients underwent gastric bypass surgery that was performed by a relatively inexperienced surgeon. Following the surgery, she soon started to suffer from repeated episodes of vomiting and diarrhoea.

Despite clearly being unwell, she was discharged from hospital a little over a week later.

Over the following months, the client was admitted to hospital on six further occasions with on-going symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea. Multiple investigations and procedures were carried out but all to no effect; her symptoms continued.

Over this time she became malnourished and anaemic. She suffered blackouts and became extremely weak. She became housebound and reliant on others to look after her. Her ill health also affected her psychologically; on several occasions she thought that she was going to die.

On her final admission to hospital, six months after her initial surgery, she underwent a further procedure to make a sleeve in her stomach, in the hope that this would resolve her symptoms. When the surgeon opened her up, it soon became apparent that the initial surgery had been performed incorrectly, with the wrong limb having been attached to the gastric pouch. The surgeon had no option but to carry out a complete reversal of the gastric bypass.

After the surgery she required a blood transfusion and needed oxygen for a number of days.

She has been left with extensive external and internal scarring, making it difficult for her to undergo further weight loss surgery in the future.

Following a full investigation of the client’s case and having obtained supportive expert evidence from another weight loss surgeon, we were successfully able to argue that the surgery was carried out negligently and that there was an inappropriate delay in organising appropriate investigations to identify the cause of her symptoms.

The case was settled for £150,000.

Contact Jackson Lees

For help with your weight loss claim, you can call Jackson Lees today on 0151 282 1700 or fill out our enquiry form.

You may also find our news and blog sections useful, in particular the article ‘Is Weight Loss Surgery worth the risk?’

We can assist with a wide range of Cosmetic Surgery claims, and our services have been accredited by the Law Society and Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA).