Woman appeals for apology after failings lead to leg amputation

Karen Webb lost her lower right leg after doctors failed to treat an ulcer, despite being given repeated assurances that her foot was not infected.

Following a series of appointments at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and Eastbourne District General Hospital in 2014 and 2015, Karen’s ulcer became so bad that it could no longer be treated with antibiotics.

She admitted that the “excruciating” pain caused by the wound – which became infected to the extent it cracked her heel bone and turned her skin black - made her relieved to be told her foot and lower leg would be amputated in 2017.

While Karen went on to secure a settlement against both University Hospitals Sussex and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trusts, with support from law firm Slater and Gordon, she still has not received an apology for the poor standards of care she received – something she says has been significant in her being able to move on.

“An apology, just to hear them saying sorry, would have made such a difference to my recovery,” says Karen, from Seaford, East Sussex.

“Even now, nine years on, it’s something that would help. I would love that to happen. It would be so important to me to hear them acknowledge what they did, to meet me and just say ‘We are sorry’.

“While they have paid me a settlement, that is not the same as them saying to me directly, ‘We recognise we failed you and we apologise for that’. I think they need to realise the impact that would have on people. I know for me, it would be a massive thing.”

Karen, now 54, lives with a prosthetic leg but relies on her electric wheelchair for her mobility. She confesses to having “good and bad days” and some very difficult times since her amputation.

“I try to stay positive as much as I can, but sometimes it can be the little things, such as if I have a fall, that can really set me back,” she says.

“My husband and I have two dogs and he takes them on long walks. I’d love to join them, but it’s impossible. Things like that do make it really hard, and at first after the amputation, I felt I had totally lost my independence. But over time, and once you get into a routine, it does get easier.

“Day to day, I just get on with it, and have come to accept the challenges I face because I have one leg. Yes, it can be really difficult, and there have been some very hard times, but I just take one day at a time and live my life as best I can.”

Emma Doughty, head of clinical negligence, acted for Karen in securing a settlement from the two NHS Trusts.

Karen adds: “Emma was absolutely fantastic and kept pushing all the way to secure the settlement, she is a brilliant lawyer. I am so grateful for her support.”

“This was a very distressing case in which so many opportunities to give Karen the care she needed and deserved were missed. It is only right these NHS Trusts were held to account for that,” says Emma.

“However, the value of an apology cannot be underestimated, and as Karen explains, this would mean a huge amount to her, even now. While her settlement gives her some financial security, an apology would truly help her to move on with her life and get the closure she so badly wants.”

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