Trainee nurse, Mrs. Tobbal aged 45, developed a severe obsessive compulsive disorder and lives in constant fear of contamination after the incident, the court heard.
Judge Edward Bailey said that the mother of five was working towards becoming a fully qualified nurse but her career was destroyed when she was accidentally stabbed in the finger by a needle sticking out of an over full sharps bin in an operating theatre.
Despite being given the all clear after blood tests to rule out HIV and Hepatitis, Mrs. Tobbal’s anxiety and distress about what happened continued to increase. Her symptoms snowballed until a diagnosis of severe scaled OCD was made. The judge added that this made it impossible for her to return to work and sadly led to the breakdown of her marriage.
Whipps Cross NHS Trust admitted liability for the accident and its alarming consequences for Mrs. Tobbal. Describing her condition, the judge went on to explain that she began to wear gloves every day convinced she would contaminate her family. She felt unable to leave the house and when her children returned home from school each day she would wash their uniform and scrub their shoes with bleach.
Judge Bailey awarded her damages for five years of suffering, loss of earnings and the disruption to her life which cost her marriage.
Mrs. Tobbals solicitor explained that recent psychology reports concluded her prognosis for a return to pre accident state was good if she continued with the appropriate counselling.
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