A woman who has been left unable to have children after hospital staff failed to diagnose her life-threatening condition has won £160,000 in compensation.

Joanne Connolly first attended hospital in May 2002, due to concerns regarding her pregnancy. Despite a number of subsequent hospital visits, the correct diagnosis was not made. She was actually suffering from a molar pregnancy, a condition which is caused by problems with the transfer of genetic information during fertilisation and leads to the placenta growing abnormally. Molar pregnancies can cause serious complications if left untreated.

As a result of the delay in diagnosing her condition, Ms Connolly had to have an emergency hysterectomy, leaving her unable to bear children.

After a lengthy legal battle, the hospital trust involved admitted that it did not have a policy in place for diagnosing and treating molar pregnancies. They admitted liability for the failure to diagnose Ms Connolly’s condition and agreed to the settlement.