North Manchester General Hospital Electrician Exposed to Asbestos in the Late 1980s Succeeds in Mesothelioma Claim

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27 Nov 2022

  

Pennine Acute NHS Trust who are responsible for NMGH have not only paid out £233,500 in a mesothelioma claim to their former employee but they have also agreed to pay immunotherapy treatment. 

78 year old Jack was employed by NMGH as a maintenance electrician for 20 years between 1988 and his retirement in 2008. He worked at various hospitals including Springfield Hospital, Crumpsall Hospital and Ancoats Hospital.  

Jack was exposed to asbestos dust when he worked in boiler rooms, plant rooms, tunnels and other areas of the hospitals. These areas were riddled with pipework lagged with asbestos and panelling constructed of asbestos insulation boards. Jack breathed in the deadly substance whilst he worked. 

The NHS Trust did not provide any asbestos awareness training or protective gear to Jack and other maintenance men until the 2000s. At the time the training came as a shock especially as Jack learned he had worked in areas where asbestos was present. Up until this point Jack hadn’t even been provided with a mask to protect him. 

By the time Jack started working for the NHS Trust in 1988, new and much stricter regulations called The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 were in force. The NHS’s failure to follow the law meant Jack and other hospital staff were not protected from the dangers of asbestos. 

Jack moved to France with his wife Edith after his retirement. 10 years after his retirement and whilst visiting his children in the North West, Jack became ill. Many months and investigations later, Jack was given the devastating news that he had mesothelioma by his doctors in France. 

Jack instructed the Asbestos Law Partnership’s specialist mesothelioma claims solicitor, Fozia Hussain, to investigate his case. 

A court action was started against the NHS Trust who without even putting up a fight admitted liability. His claim was settled a few weeks before the trial. 

The NHS Trust have paid compensation and agreed to pay for immunotherapy treatment which Jack can have in France or in the UK. 

The compensation will provide financial security and choice for Jack and Edith in France. They do not have any family nearby who can support them so the compensation includes funds to pay for private carers and equipment to ensure Jack is comfortable, safe and looked after.

“We would like to say how grateful we are to you and your team at the Asbestos Law Partnership and to Rob Rayner at GMAVSG. When we first approached you we didn’t  even know  if we had a case, let alone be entitled to benefits. Thanks to you we will be able to get in any help we need in future and if further treatment is needed it will be provided.” Jack and Edith

Fozia Hussain, a partner and experienced asbestos solicitor with the firm, said: “Jack’s exposure at the hands of this NHS Trust was a blatant breach of the laws and regulations in force in the 1980s. The Trust’s failure to protect its employees, will have devastating consequences for countless families in years to come.”

Even though Jack lives in France, he was given invaluable support and advice with government benefits by GMAVSG – Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group. 

Photo credits.

Photo 1 - Tricia Neal  

Photo 2- Pete Birkinshaw