The family of a 51-year-old woman who died after surgeons accidentally cut blood vessels leading to her heart during a routine operation has been awarded compensation in an out-of-court settlement.

The Daily Mail reports that Christine Burgess from Greater Manchester underwent surgery at the Hope Hospital in Salford in May 2006.

The routine discectomy operation was conducted by a locum consultant neurosurgeon, after Mrs Burgess had suffered months of back pain and leg numbness that doctors diagnosed as a disc hernia. The operation helps relieve pain by removing the portion of the intervertebral disc causing pressure on the nerve.

Mrs Burgess was expected to return to work just a few months after surgery – however, her blood vessels were so badly damaged during the procedure that she died.

Her partner of 15 years, Kevin Jones, and Mrs Burgess’ family have settled out-of-court for an undisclosed sum, after taking action against Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. Mr Jones had attempted to settle by negotiation, but lawyers for the family said that the trust ‘failed to provide any substantive response’ until the court case was instigated.

‘It took in excess of 12 months to reach a settlement, which could have been dealt with much earlier, saving Mr Jones and his family from even more distress,’ said the family’s legal representative.

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust expressed its deep regret at the death of Mrs Burgess during routine discectomy surgery and said in a statement:

‘Legal proceedings commenced earlier this year and parties have agreed upon an out-of-court resolution. Our teams remain accessible to the Burgess family should they need any further support or information.’

Mr Jones described his partner as the love of his life – the couple were planning to retire to France, where they had already purchased a property.

‘Christine was the life and soul of every family gathering – and due to the failings of the surgeon, she has lost out on those precious moments and the chance to see her grandchildren grow up,’ said Mr Jones.

‘I wanted people to know what happened to Christine and to bring to light the errors in her surgery to help make sure this doesn’t happen again to anyone else.

‘We had lots of plans for the future, but now there is just a hole in my life.’

The family’s lawyers said there had been ‘serious failings’ in the care of Mrs Burgess – and lessons must be learned from the case.

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