Specialist medical negligence solicitors help man after wrong scar is removed

Mr R was referred to a Dermatology clinic in Scotland by his GP to investigate a mole on his face.

A biopsy was carried out on the mole, which was pre-cancerous. This left our client with a scar. Following standard procedure, Mr R had to go back to the dermatology clinic to remove the biopsy scar with a margin of normal skin.

How did the dermatologist remove the wrong scar?

Mr R had a pre-existing scar in the same area, from a long time ago. The scar was very faint and had been noted at his earlier procedure.

However, this was the scar removed by medical staff, not the biopsy scar which was more visible and recent.

Mr R had to undergo the procedure again at a later stage as a result of this mistake and he has been left with a much larger scar on his face.

What has been the impact of the medical negligence?

Mr R was very upset with the scar he has been left with as a result of all of this. He feels the scar is more noticeable to others which leaves him embarrassed, impacting on his mental health.

Medical negligence claim with Digby Brown

Digby Brown has specialist solicitors in medical negligence claims with a long history of helping people across Scotland.

They investigated the circumstances around the procedures to conclude that the dermatologist failed to check with our client that they had marked the correct area before the procedure was undertaken. Had this been done, the injury, damage and effects on our client could have been avoided.

Compensation for medical negligence of dermatologist

Our medical negligence solicitors received an initial offer from the responsible NHS Health Board in Scotland. They refused to admit liability and only made the offer to settle the claim on an economic basis.

Their rationale was Mr R would always be left with a scar as a result of the procedure and even if he continued to pursue a claim, he would be unlikely to receive a higher award.

Final compensation awarded was 14 times the initial offer

Our solicitors raised the claim in court, putting pressure on the insurers to admit liability and make a fair and appropriate offer of compensation for Mr R.

In the end, the claim settled for 14 times the initial offer made by the Health Board.