Mother sues NHS for failed contraceptive implant

A young mother from Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire, has sued the NHS for medical negligence after becoming pregnant because her contraceptive implant was fitted incorrectly.

Although now a mother to a happy, healthy, four-year-old, the then eighteen-year-old Katie Kelly-Ince holds her local health authority responsible for the accidental pregnancy which she says robbed her of her youth, independence and ambitions.

When Katie fell pregnant she had just finished her A-Levels and was planning to train as a dental nurse. To make matters worse, she had also broken up with her boyfriend just days before finding out she was pregnant.

Katie and her mother took the matter of contraception seriously, and opted for the contraceptive implant, which is inserted under the skin of the arm, because the chances of it failing were so slim.

However, the implant failed because it was incorrectly fitted. The young mother took legal action against the NHS who admitted liability for the blunder and paid out £11,000 compensation in an out-of-court settlement.

Figures released by the Department of Health reveal that between 2003 and 2013 the NHS paid out more than £94 million in 164 cases of 'wrongful births.' Most of these cases involve parents who had disabled children after doctors failed to warn them of the risk, but 40 cases, including Katie's, involved the birth of a perfectly healthy child.

If you have suffered as a result of medical negligence you may be entitled to compensation. Call our team on 0800 567 7272 or email us at blvlaw@btinternet.com to find out more.

BLV Law

Stourport Negligence Solicitors