Further important ruling on secondary victim claim: Ronayne v Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Court of Appeal, 17 June 2015)

Abstract

The claimant was the husband of Julie Ronayne who had been admitted to the defendant’s hospital for a hysterectomy. It was agreed that this procedure was performed negligently because a suture was misplaced in the patient’s colon, in consequence of which she developed septicaemia and peritonitis. Liability in her claim was admitted and the case successfully resolved. Mr Ronayne claimed to have suffered mental trauma as a consequence of what had happened to his wife in hospital following the trust’s negligence. This occurred in two episodes: