‘Compensation means that somebody is acknowledging what we’ve been through’
Johanne Ormiston endured 27 years of pain before being diagnosed with endometriosis(Image: Supplied)
Two local women living with severe health conditions say compensation from NHS Lothian “would mean acknowledgement”.
Edinburgh Live reported earlier today how the health board paid out a whopping £14.7million in settled medical negligence compensation cases for the 2025/26 financial year – £12million more than the previous year.
Health board bosses say this concerns both historic and new cases which have been settled within the financial year and some cases may take several years to settle.
Over a six year period, the Women’s and Children’s Services settled 62 compensation cases for medical negligence or staff claims – the third highest number of claims after facilities department and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Live spoke to women who suffer from chronic and debilitating women’s health conditions who say they considered seeking compensation due to their treatment and understand why women may pursue recourse.
Samantha Hindle, 47, was forced to undergo surgery in America after she suffered 19 years of “agonising pain” from a vaginal mesh implant.
Samantha Hindle considered seeking compensation for her vaginal mesh implant(Image: Supplied)
The Edinburgh resident, a former care assistant for the NHS, became unable to work since she underwent surgery at the age of 29. Edinburgh Live has previously reported vaginal mesh implants have triggered a storm of controversy due to failed procedures throughout the years, leading to women suffering from unnecessary pain and life-long trauma.
Samantha attempted to seek compensation after learning her pain was due to vaginal mesh, but claimed the statute of limitations on filing a claim had expired. She commented on what compensation would mean to her and women in similar situations.
She said: “Compensation is acknowledgement. It means that somebody acknowledging what we’ve been through- for example, I’ve got PTSD. It’s somebody to stand up and say ‘I’m sorry this happened to you.’ I’ve never been so scared my whole life.
“I don’t think women’s pain is taken seriously. Far too many women can’t keep jobs because of their endo, period pain – it floors them, it beds them.
“I would’ve sued after what I experienced. Getting that mesh put in almost killed me.”
Johanne Ormiston, 41, has suffered from severe pain from the age of 12 when she first started getting her period.
She says she spent decades asking GPs before finally being diagnosed with endometriosis in May 2023, 27 years after her symptoms first began. Upon undergoing surgery, it was discovered that Johanne’s endometriosis was so severe her organs had fused to her bladder.
She also considered seeking compensation but was told by a legal professional the case would likely not be successful.
Johanne said: “I was considering compensation because I went undiagnosed for so long and from the lack of treatment.
“I had to advocate for years – I was told it was anxiety causing my pain, it’s just a bad period, take paracetamol and go on your merry way. But when you’ve got pain stopping you from your daily life, something’s not right.
“It was that aspect that somebody had to be, I feel, held accountable.
“Women have been neglected. It’s a hard thing to do, sharing your story. I applaud women [who seek compensation] and admire them.”
The numbers from 2025/26 constitute a significant rise in medical negligence payouts, over £12m more than the £2,296,891 fee from 2024/25. Low figures were noted in previous years with £5,669,303 in 2023/24 and £2,231,733 in 2022/23.
Aside from a high spike in 2021/22, the two prior years saw much lower numbers than this year with £4,988,064 in 2020/21 and £5,317,792 in 2019/20.
There have been a total of 480 settled cases by NHS Lothian from the 2019/20 financial year to 2025/26. Some departments have settled more compensation claims than others for medical negligence, staff, and “other” reasons.
The department with the most over the six-year period was listed as facilities, with 115. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Site Management Team saw the second most with 79, followed by Women’s and Children’s Services with 62.
The Western General ranked fourth with 54 cases, followed by St John’s Hospital Site Management Team with 48 and the Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services with 34.
Tracey Gillies, Medical Director at NHS Lothian: “In cases where a claim is raised and is settled in relation to clinical care, personal injury or employment, this results in compensation being awarded. The settlement of legal claims may take a number of years from when claims were first raised and, therefore, some years will have higher figures than others.
“These figures are relative to our position as the second largest health board in Scotland, our provision of national and regional services for other parts of the country and the breadth and complexity of health care being provided by NHS Lothian.”
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