Southport man endures 5 years of agony due to a failed hip replacement

A 60 year old man from Southport was left in agony for 5 years, after a surgeon at Renacres Hospital in Lancashire failed to spot a loosened hip replacement. In September 2010, Mr Brolly visited his GP with right hip pain, before being sent for an X-ray with the Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Renacres Hospital. The X-ray revealed a loss of cartilage in the right hip joint and he underwent a total hip replacement in December 2010.

Mr Brolly was discharged from the Hospital, however just 2  months later, he started to suffer from extreme pain in his right groin and knee, and was unable to walk. After undergoing an ultrasound scan on his right groin, which was reported to show thickened tendons, Mr Brolly's hip replacement was X-rayed to check for any loose connection. The consultant's feedback was that it was in a good position with no loosening or failure.

2 more X-rays followed this; on his right hip and pelvis; and then he underwent a bone scan and leukoscan, which were all found to be normal and not as a result of any problems with the hip replacement. But as he was continuing to experience a lot of pain, Mr Brolly had an operation to release his right tendon in March 2012. This slightly eased the pain in his groin, but Mr Brolly's knee got worse and an X-ray of his knee led to him undergoing a full knee replacement in 2014.

However, in the days and months that followed, he continued to experience significant discomfort, and relied on strong pain relief including Tramadol.

Mr Brolly said:- "It's extremely difficult to explain just how bad the pain was. I could just about manage to go to work as a HGV driver, but this was certainly impacted by my lack of mobility and the high dose of medication I was taking. As a result, I had to take time off, which contributed to me being made redundant. I then had to take a role elsewhere that paid considerably less. And this impacted heavily on my family. I was relying on them for physical support and was unable to do very much because of my mobility issues. My son was at School during this time, and I feel as though I missed out on a lot of experiences; this is time I'll never get back."

In April 2015, after consultants had failed to spot any issues with the hip replacement on 10 separate occasions, Mr Brolly underwent an ultrasound of his right hip, which the consultant again noted did not show any loosening.

The pain continued, and after visiting his doctor in September 2015 and requesting a referral to Wrightington Hospital for a  2nd opinion, the loosening of his Mr Brolly's hip replacement was finally diagnosed. In February 2016, Mr Brolly underwent a revision of the hip replacement, which was performed at Wrightington Hospital and completed without complications.  Since being discharged, he has experienced no pain.

After being upset with the failings that had been made, Mr Brolly contacted medical negligence experts Fletchers Solicitors to bring a claim against Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust. The Trust admitted liability in April 2018, apologised and paid out a 5 figure sum to Mr Brolly.

Darren Tamplin Compton, a lawyer at Fletchers Solicitors who worked on the case, said:- "Mr Brolly endured 5 years of severe pain, as a result of multiple failures to spot a loosened hip replacement. The extent and duration of this pain was completely unnecessary, and caused great upheaval to Mr Brolly's life. We hope the compensation serves as a form of justice for Mr Brolly and he is able to enjoy his new quality of life."

Mr Brolly said:- "Although I'm happy the ordeal is over, it's been difficult to shake off my anxiety as I'm always waiting for the pain to return. I'm looking forward to my future, which will include making up for lost time with my family, and a return to golf."

For more information, please visit:- FletchersSolicitors.Co.UK.

Start up Day to inspire new Liverpool businesses

NEW business founders and entrepreneurs of the future are invited to a workshop delivered by fellow businesspersons and receive expert business advice at Start up Day. The free event; at Liverpool Central Library, on 20 September 2018, from 10am to 8pm; features a number of special guest speakers. These include:- BBC Radio Merseyside presenter and business owner Ngunan Adamu and Kay Wadud, co-owner of Perfect Samosa. Google Digital Garage will show you how to market your business digitally and know your online customers. You can also receive 1 to 1 advice about making your business idea reality.

Deputy Mayor of Liverpool and Cabinet Member for Business, Economy and Skills, Cllr Gary Millar said:- "It's great to be speaking at and celebrating Start-up Day again, the variety of expert speakers and abundance of knowledge and help available to those starting out is exceptional and makes a huge positive difference to those going into business. I know from my own 1st hand experience that Liverpool's Business and IP Centre continues to deliver intellectual property advice, mentoring and coaching sessions to support Liverpool's SMEs from that  1st spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business. It's also important for me to recognise the work of the staff at our amazing Central Library and thank our many volunteer specialist mentors and advisors for their invaluable support."

Start-up Day is being celebrated in Business and IP Centres in libraries throughout the UK, supported by Santander. In Liverpool, the library will also be joined by several local partners. The Women's Organisation, St Helens Chamber of Commerce and Alt Valley Community Trust will all be offering presentations and the opportunity to speak to business advisors on the day.

John Keane, Liverpool Libraries' Divisional Manager, said:- "Start Up Day is a fantastic opportunity for the Liverpool Business and Intellectual Property Centre to showcase the depth of business resources, advice and guidance that we can offer to anyone thinking about starting their own business. As well as having our own highly experienced team based at Liverpool Central Library, we also work with an amazing range of partner organisations, business advisors and mentors. We are also part of the Merseyside Enterprise Hub as well as the national Business and Intellectual Property Centre Network led by the British Library. This gives us access to a wide range of local, regional and national expertise. If you haven't visited us before, then Start-Up Day is an ideal chance to drop in and find out more before taking the next steps to starting your own business."

The event is free but space is limited so book your tickets here.

Managing agent hit with ₤4k bill for operating 12 unlicensed properties

A managing agent has been hit with a total bill of almost ₤4,000 and a criminal record after pleading guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court to renting out 12 private sector properties without a compulsory licence. The Landlord Licensing scheme was introduced by Liverpool City Council in April 2015 with the aim of improving standards in the private rental sector. A number of properties in Rice Lane in Walton, Milton Road in Anfield and Stockbridge Street in Wavertree rented out by RJM Properties (NW) Ltd  1st came to the attention of Liverpool City Council in July 2016 following an investigation into unlicensed properties in Liverpool. Despite reminders which clearly outlined the requirements of the scheme and the consequences of failing to act, it didn't licence the properties at the time.Julian Nutter, Barrister for RJM Properties (NW) Ltd, confirmed in mitigation that the managing agent brought up the standards in the properties, which were now fully licensed. During the sentencing hearing on 13 September, RJM Properties (NW) Ltd were fined ₤1,800, plus costs of ₤1,959.54 and a victim surcharge of ₤130.  District Judge Wendy Lloyd emphasised the importance of the Selective Licensing scheme in Liverpool and it was essential for rental properties to be on Liverpool City Council's radar.
Judge Lloyd accepted that the properties were now in a good condition and that licences had now been obtained, but noted this had been a 'drip' process. Furthermore, Judge Lloyd considered that the company was a business and therefore had to have a full understanding of the process and take full responsibility.

Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for housing, said:- "We have many good private landlords in Liverpool who comply with legal requirements, but we take it very seriously when landlords do not comply with basic minimum standards of property management. It is important we have a level playing field for all landlords in the City."

To date, almost 45,000 properties have been licensed under the Landlord Licensing scheme in the City, with a further 9,000 unlicensed properties reported. Since the scheme was launched, the City Council has served 1,700 legal notices, brought 118 successful prosecutions, issued 146 cautions and a further 116 formal written warnings. Almost 1,300 cases are currently being considered for prosecution. Tenants and members of the public can check if a property has the required Landlord Licence on:- Liverpool.Gov.UK, and to report unlicensed properties you can email:- Unlicensed.Landlord@Liverpool.Gov.UK.