A Devon nurse has been awarded £650,000 damages after an unnecessary operation left her unable to have children – and part of the pay out will be used to try and help her achieve motherhood.
Sarah Finnie, who was 23 at the time, was left severely damaged by the unnecessary bowel surgery which has caused her years of pain and depression.
The nursing sister, now 33, underwent abdominal surgery at Torbay Hospital in south Devon in August 2005 but complications resulted in severe medical problems which have plagued her since.
Mrs Finnie, from Newton Abbot, Devon, endured a further 23 operations since 2005 in a bid to rectify her condition.
A High Court judge sitting in Exeter heard it affected her fertility and ability to have children she desperately wanted with her 64 year old partner.
More than £50,000 of her NHS payout will be used to help her to try and achieve her desire to have a family in the future.
The judge, Mr Justice Dingemans, awarded her £16,000 to pay for IVF treatment and almost £40,000 to pay for the private delivery of the two children the couple long for.
He said she is 'exceptionally focussed on having a child' and there is 'no reason' why she should not become a mum.
Mrs Finnie sued the South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust claiming the surgery had been carried out without reasonable skill and care.
The Trust admitted 'causing all the injuries' to Mrs Finnie, who is now a sister working at an Exeter hospital.
The judge awarded her £648,760 damages.
Her solicitor Sally-Anne Bryars said:"To carry out such a drastic, high risk procedure on a patient with no symptoms is completely inappropriate.
"No patient should have to endure such an appalling experience as a result of unnecessary medical treatment and the legacy of the damage, both physical and psychological, will stay with her for life. Sarah has been left utterly devastated by her condition."
A hospital trust spokesman said:"We have apologised to Miss Finnie and we do hope that the compensation awarded will assist Miss Finnie with her plans for a family."
