Batley woman whose ‘life was changed’ after her was leg amputated following surgery delay wants lessons to be learned as NHS Trust declares it is working ‘continuously to improve’

Molly Harbron, 25, who has type one diabetes, attended Dewsbury and District Hospital’s A&E department in April 2020 concerned that her left leg and foot were numb and cold, as well as having a pain in her calf. Her left foot was also discoloured.

Molly had a history of diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication of diabetes, the side-effects of which can include blood clots.

A possible deep vein thrombosis was initially suspected. However, medics failed to carry out adequate tests. She should have undergone surgery by 9pm that day, health bosses admitted. However, Molly didn’t undergo surgery until just after 1.30pm the following day – more than 16-and-a-half hours later.

Surgeons were unable to restore blood flow to her lower left leg. She initially underwent a below the knee amputation, but days later had to have surgery to amputate her leg above the knee.

Molly, who was 22 at the time, had to give up her job as a carer.

She said: “Before all this I was extremely active. I worked in a quite physically demanding job and enjoyed going out with my friends, shopping and all of the things people my age do.

“However, that’s all completely gone. It’s sometimes difficult to find the words to describe how my life has changed. It’s not just the physical injuries which have been hard to come to terms with but also the psychological impact.

“I went from being quite independent to reliant on others. I do have a prosthetic leg but it’s not specifically designed for me. I suffer walking any kind of distance and I suffer with pain when using it so I tend to use a wheelchair.”

Despite her challenges Molly was determined to stand on her wedding day as she married fiancé Daniel, aged 25, in August 2023.

She added: “We’d been planning our wedding for months and had everything set out how we had dreamed. After everything I’d been through I was determined I wasn’t going to let it dictate my wedding.

“Daniel is the most wonderful and caring person whose support, along with the support of my family, have really helped me over the last few years. I can’t thank them enough for everything they continue to do for me.

“While I try not to think about how life has changed, it’s difficult. I know I have a long way to go and face many challenges, but now having answers regarding what went wrong in my care means I can try and focus on my rehabilitation.

“This never should have happened so I just hope that by speaking out I can prevent it happening to someone else.”

Following her amputation, Molly instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate her care under Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, which runs Dewsbury and District Hospital.

The Trust admitted a breach of duty and apologised to Molly. If it was not for the breach of duty, Molly would have undergone surgery by 9pm on the day she attended hospital. On the balance of probabilities, the surgery would have been successful and would have avoided the need for both the below and above knee amputation, the Trust admitted.

Irwin Mitchell is now working with Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust to agree a settlement which will fund the life-time therapies, support and rehabilitation Molly requires.

Ashlee Coates, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Molly, said: “The last few years and coming to terms with the avoidable and life-changing consequences of Molly’s amputation have understandably been extremely difficult for her and her family.“What happened to her vividly highlights the repercussions of what can happen when patient care falls below expected standards.

“In the meantime it’s vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety for others.”

During legal proceedings the Trust admitted it failed to carry out a number of tests, including examining and comparing pulses, recording and comparing Molly’s leg temperatures and examining the blood supply to her left foot. The Trust did not query whether she had reduced blood supply to her leg and did not refer her to the vascular surgery department.

Richard Robinson, Chief Medical Officer at the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

said:

“We aim to ensure all patients get the right diagnosis and the treatment they need to get better.

“In Mrs Harbron’s case that did not happen and for that I am sincerely sorry.

“Patient safety and achieving the best treatment results is a priority for us and we work continuously to improve.”