- THOMPSONS SOLICITORS: CLINICS HAVE A DUTY TO COMPENSATE SCOTTISH BREAST IMPLANT VICTIMS ON TOP OF REPLACEMENT
Scottish victims of the PIP implant scandal and Scotland’s leading personal injury firm Thompsons Solicitors have called on all private providers to meet their responsibilities to replace the implants.
The move follows the First Minister, Alex Salmond’s confirmation that a meeting will take place between the breast implant victims and Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon and backed their calls for private clinics to offer replacements.
Reports have revealed that the Harley Medical Group are refusing to pay for replacing the implants and clinic Transform is expecting their clients to pay £2800 to have their implants taken out and replaced with alternative brands. Hospital Group who gave PIP implants to Scottish clients is also believed to be charging women to remove and replace their implants.
Thompsons Solicitors has said that clinics who offered the dangerous PIP implants could have a duty to pay compensation to those affected under consumer protection legislation as well as offer means for a replacement. The firm has set up a free phone line offering legal advice and take forward compensation claims on behalf of women affected by the PIP scandal - 0800 0891331. Partner at Thompsons Solicitors and expert in personal injury law, Patrick McGuire, said:
“The women affected by the PIP implant scandal deserve fair treatment and justice. We welcome any help that the Scottish Government and the UK Government can offer to put pressure on the clinics to meet their duty of care to these women and avoid a scandal like this happening again.
“These women who are being affected now are being asked to pay for something they didn’t do. It is clear that some clinics aren’t taking their responsibilities seriously to the victims of this scandal. We believe they need to replace the goods, or offer the victims the means to do it elsewhere, on top of the compensation for the worry and suffering they’ve been through.
“There are many legal avenues to explore, but these implants in Scotland have been offered by clinics where there is a clear contract between the patient as a consumer and the clinic as a provider. These women have the same rights as any consumer.
“It is the provider’s responsibility to sell goods of a sufficient standard and consumers have rights to protect them if this contract is broken. They therefore not only deserve replacement, but redress for what they’ve been through.”
Trisha Devine, from Stirling, who is a patient with Transform who are charging for replacement implants, said:
“This situation isn’t my fault, so why should I be expected to pay more money to get this sorted?
“I can’t afford the kind of money they’re asking for, so as it stands I’m left with no choice. I have to wait with these implants inside me not knowing whether they’ll rupture or not.
“I feel like I’ve got a ticking time bomb inside me, not knowing when it’ll go off.
“Some other women have been offered help, but because we chose to go with these guys we’re out in the cold.
“The Scottish and UK Governments need to do as much as they can to help for the future, but we also have thousands of Scottish women who need help from their clinics now.”
A client with the Hospital Group, who wishes to remain nameless, said she was told it would cost her up to £3,100 to have her PIP implants removed and replaced:
“I’m constantly worried about what will happen to my implants and it takes its toll on the whole family.
“This was not my fault and £3,100 is a lot of money in any situation, but it’s made worse by the fact that I didn’t ask for this to happen to me.
“I’m experiencing pains and pins and needles in my chest and I’m worried it’s the implants. I just want these things out, but the clinic is abandoning us.”
