Hospital blunder ended in amputation

Claire Heywood

A review of NHS training procedures has been called for after a nurse had her finger and knuckle amputated in a Royal Oldham Hospital blunder.

Claire Heywood, has won a five-figure out-of-court settlement.

The mum-of-three was rushed to the hospital when she sliced open her finger on a shattered lampshade at her home in New Moston in 2007.

A junior doctor failed to diagnose and treat a severed tendon. Her GP urgently referred her to see an orthopaedic surgeon — but the hospital gave her an appointment with an occupational therapist, who also said she needed urgent surgical assessment.

She wasn’t seen by the hospital until six months after the injury.

She said: “In the end I felt an amputation was the only option; my situation had become unbearable.“

A Pennine Acute spokesman said: “We have previously admitted that there were delays which led to Ms Heywood’s finger amputation. We apologise for the shortcomings.”