£150,000 settlement for cleaner who suffered permanent jaw and leg injuries following negligent NHS surgery
A YOUNG cancer survivor has been awarded £150,000 compensation after University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted causing him permanent leg and jaw injuries following negligent surgery.
Having found a lump in the right side of his jaw in December 2016, the man was referred by a dentist to the Royal London Dental Hospital, where tests confirmed he had a rare type of bone cancer known as sarcoma of the jaw.
After undergoing chemotherapy from March to September 2017, he was aged just 25 when surgery was scheduled to remove the affected portion of his jaw and reconstruct it using bone from his leg in a procedure called a fibula flap.
During the operation, surgeons successfully removed the cancer but cut the wrong artery in his leg while attempting the reconstruction, forcing them to abandon the fibula flap procedure. Unfortunately, as a result, his leg required repair with plates and screws, and the jaw reconstruction remained incomplete. Further surgery was later required to clean and repair the jaw area.
Following the procedure, our client suffered long-term pain, numbness and weakness in his leg, including foot drop caused by damage to the peroneal nerve, which controls movement and sensation in parts of the lower leg and foot. Scar tissue further trapped the nerve, which meant another operation was needed in October 2019.
Despite these interventions, he was left with permanent physical limitations which significantly affected his daily life. He struggled with walking and standing, and although he was able to keep his job as a cleaner, thanks to an understanding employer, he was limited in carrying out normal day-to-day tasks.
Negligent surgical technique causes life-changing injuries
Appointed to investigate the case, experienced Clinical Negligence Solicitor Alison Ainsley reviewed over 3,060 pages of medical records before an in-depth 38-page chronology of events was prepared.
Having consulted with medical experts, it was concluded that nerve damage would not normally occur during this type of surgery and resulted from negligent surgical technique and a detailed compensation claim was submitted on 24 June 2021.
Although it initially argued some complications were known surgical risks, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust eventually admitted liability and causation but settlement negotiations stretched over several years.
The NHS Trust’s initial £65,000 offer was rejected, along with three subsequent offers, and after careful consideration of our client’s ongoing pain and disability, the case finally settled for £150,000 in September 2025 – bringing an end to the 32-year-old’s lengthy legal battle that began when he was just 25.
Reflecting on outcome, Solicitor Alison Ainsley said: “This settlement recognises the profound and lasting impact that the negligent surgery has had on our client’s life and livelihood. For years he has lived with the physical and emotional consequences of an operation that should never have left him in this position.
“While no amount of compensation can undo the harm he has suffered, this settlement finally brings a long-running and deeply difficult chapter to a close. We are pleased to have secured justice for him, particularly after having to fight hard to obtain the level of compensation that was clearly deserved.
“Unfortunately, this ordeal could and should have been avoided if the surgery had been carried out to the appropriate standard in the first place. The impact on his health and quality of life has been significant, and the award reflects the seriousness of what he has endured.
“He can now draw a line under this episode and focus on the future, although he will obviously continue to live with the lasting physical and psychological effects of what happened.”
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