A semi-pro footballer who suffered a severe brain injury after having his tonsils removed has won a £25,000 NHS pay-out.
Corey Wilkinson was 19 when he had the routine op on November 23, 2021 and should have been home and recovering within days. But Corey, from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, started experiencing severe complications that threatened his life.
He was discharged from Grimsby’s Diana Princess of Wales Hospital but hours later started bleeding from his mouth and was struggling to breathe. Corey, a semi-pro footballer who was about to qualify as a personal trainer, was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary by his girlfriend the next day.
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Doctors attempted to insert an air tube down his throat but he suffered a cardiac arrest after his mouth and airways became clogged with blood. Medics eventually carried out an emergency tracheostomy but Corey’s brain had been starved of oxygen for around 15 minutes.
The next day doctors tried to remove the tube but while they were doing so Corey struggled to breathe and his brain was starved of oxygen for another four minutes. He suffered another cardiac arrest and hypoxic and ischemic brain injury as a result of the incident.
Corey was put on life support for two weeks and fitted with a feeding tube and doctors warned his parents Nicki Wilkinson, 39, and Barry Blastland, 40, he may not survive. In January 2022 he was well enough to go home but he was unable to walk, talk or swallow solid food and was on a fluid only diet.
Over the next few months, Corey, now aged 20, underwent gruelling physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions. He has now been awarded compensation after Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust admitted "a number of breaches of duty".
Corey was awarded an interim £25,000 to help fund his rehabilitation and he remains hopeful of recovering enough to become a personal trainer. Mum Nicki said: “We were told that it was so bad he may not survive, and if he did he may never be the same boy again because he would likely have suffered brain damage. It was heartbreaking.
“When he did eventually come home from hospital we had a lot of tears and frustrations as he wanted to be the person he was before, and he was upset at losing his independence and needing our support. It has been a long road back to where he is now.
“He was determined to do the best he could though, and as soon as he could he was using our walking machine at home and the weights to get himself physically better. For a while he needed to use the wheelchair, then a walking frame, but as soon as he was able to he was back to the gym and he has gone every day without fail.
“His confidence was shattered by what happened. Initially he did speak slowly and was slurred, but again, over time, that has improved, although I know he still feels self-conscious about it, as he does about the scar on his neck from the emergency surgery.
“For a long time he’d want me to go with him to appointments to speak for him. It has been such a difficult thing for him to deal with but we are so proud of him.”
Matthew Gascoyne, of Hudgell Solicitors who represented Corey, said: “We had outlined our concerns over the treatment Corey received, in particular decisions to carry out the initial surgery with only one anesthetist present, a failure to plan to sufficiently clear his airways before surgery, and then to end sedation and remove his breathing tube the following morning before the day-shift medical staff arrived, and before an Intensive Care Consultant would have been expected on the unit.
“His legal claim will continue as we will seek to ensure he continues to have access to a team of specialists who can help him return to his training and then employment, and enjoy the best quality of life and independence, whilst of course seeking significant damages for the impact of what happened to him.”
A Serious Incident Investigation made a number of recommendations to ensure medics are better prepared to treat patients with blocked airways. Corey’s mum Nicki, who has two other children, added: “We came so close to losing him that night, after such a routine procedure, so I’ve wanted people to know the dangers, and when we found out what had happened at the hospital, we wanted lessons to be learned.
“I’m just pleased there have been changes made as a result of what happened to Corey, and hopefully these lessons will be passed on and shared to wider hospital trusts now given bleeding after tonsil removal can happen often.”
Dr John Adams, Medical Director at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We are pleased to hear that Corey is making good progress and that he has been able to access vital rehabilitation services with the interim payment made by the Trust. We are working with Corey's solicitors to bring the claim to a conclusion as soon as possible".
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