Woman’s £ 1.8m pay- out battle

Nursing assistant wins court ruling over work accident

A nursing assistant whose life was ruined when she slipped on food at work could be in line for £ 1.8 million in damages from the NHS. Michelle Lay ( 39) of Telford Drive, Yaxley, was working at the Van Geest mental health centre in May 2004 when she suffered neck and spine injuries in a fall.

She slipped on food which had fallen from a defective trolley at the Bretton hospital.

Now she could awarded up to £ 1.8 million from the Cam-bridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, after Judge Martin McKenna, sitting at the High Court in London, agreed the injuries were caused by unsafe conditions at work.

Mrs Lay, who had been married for a year when she suffered the accident, said: “I suffered injuries tomy lumber region and my cervical spine.

“I lost my job as I was unfit for work.

“It was nine years ago, and at the time I couldn’t walk very far, and was on high levels of pain relief.

“I have had to spend periods of time in a wheel chair and have needed a lot of surgery. The last process was in April last year.

“I still can’t do food shopping, and need a cleaner, and I need someone to come and walk my dogs.

“It is the little things that you take for granted that I am missing out on, and I have been told my condition is permanent.

“I have also suffered from depression, and have had other medical problems, such as stomach ulcers. “It has been horrendous. At the time of the accident Mrs Lay’s son was aged 11, and she said she had missed out on a lot of him growing up as a result of the injury.

She said: “I have not been able to participate in bits of his life. I have not been able to go skiing, swimming or bowling with him like a normal family.

“The only good thing is that I have been able to be at home when he gets in from school.’’

Mrs Lay had worked for the NHS for 13 years before the accident, and said: “I have tried on a number of times to settle this out of court, but no- one wanted to.

“It has been hurtful, because I have worked hard over the years. I have put in double shifts, and put my job before my family on a number of occasions, so this is quite upsetting.

“I have nearly finished a counselling degree at Nottingham University now, so I am hoping to start a job in that area soon.”

There will be a final court hearing to decide the amount she will receive.