- Stephen Onley, 56, was left paralysed following hip surgery in 2010
- He had asked not to have an epidural because he knew of paralysis risk
- But staff carried out procedure when he was under general anaesthetic
- Spinal cord deprived of blood causing paralysis from the waist down
- Awarded £2m payout by Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham
Kate Pickles For Mailonline
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Stephen Onley, pictured with wife Caroline, was left paralysed after doctors ignored his request that an epidural was not used
A social worker who cared for people with spinal injuries has won a £2 million payout after he was left paralysed following hip surgery.
Stephen Onley, 56, went under the knife for a routine procedure but doctors ignored his request that an epidural was not used.
The grandfather, who had spent years working with disabled people, asked staff not to use an epidural to numb the area because he was aware of the risk of spinal injury.
However, staff said it was necessary and administered it while he was under general anaesthetic.
They then failed to monitor him properly after surgery and his blood pressure fell so low that his spinal cord was deprived of blood – leading to paralysis from the waist down.
The irreparable damage wasn’t spotted until nearly two days after surgery when an MRI scan confirmed he would never be able to walk again.
Mr Onley, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, is now wheelchair-bound and completely reliant on around-the-clock care from his wife Carol, 59.
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He was awarded the payout by the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham where the operation took place on December 6, 2010, and said he hoped it would make his life easier.
‘No money can replace the loss of your legs, loss of your work, loss of your relationship you had with your partner, loss of ability to be with your children and grandson.
‘What it can do is make life easier after the event,’ he said.
Following the surgery staff at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham failed to monitor Mr Onley’s blood pressure and it fell so low that his spinal cord was deprived of blood causing him to be paralysed
‘If you allow anger to eat you up it’s self-destructive. So I’ve had to learn to forgive.’
He said the £2 million settlement will go towards making his home adaptable to his needs.
Mr Onley said he had spent more than 35 years caring for people with spinal injuries so was aware epidurals carry a small risk of paralysis.
‘I had made up my mind not to have an epidural under any circumstances but was told that it was recommended,’ he said.
‘As a result of the mistakes the hospital made through not monitoring my blood pressure, I will never walk again.
‘I am now completely reliant upon my wife who has to care for me round the clock.
The NHS Trust admitted full responsibility for both the irreversible spinal damage as well as a perforated bowel which he suffered due to further inadequate care
‘Carol has been fantastic and I don’t know how I would have coped without her.
‘But the fact remains that both our lives have been completely devastated as a result of this avoidable error.’
Lawyer Lindsay Tomlinson, from Irwin Mitchell, said: ‘Stephen was fit and active before the hip surgery and assumed that a few weeks after the operation he would be recovering and back at work.
‘Sadly mistakes were made which where wholly avoidable and Stephen will now need daily care and support for the rest of his life.’
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust admitted full responsibility for both the irreversible spinal damage as well as a perforated bowel which he suffered due to further inadequate care.
In a statement, the hospital said: ‘We would like to extend our most sincere apologies to Mr Onley for what happened in 2010.
‘We are pleased that this settlement will support him going forward but we are of course sorry that it has been necessary.
‘After serious incidents such as this one, we try to establish exactly what has happened and why.
‘It is using this knowledge that we can prevent similar incidents in the future.’
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