By Mary Hightown. Last updated 12th August 2025. Medical negligence is neglect on the part of a healthcare professional towards a patient in their care. It may cause the patient to experience otherwise avoidable harm or worsen their existing medical condition. If you have suffered from medical negligence surrounding hernia treatment or a hernia operation, you may be able to pursue compensation for the unnecessary suffering you endured.
In this case study, we are going to look at the case of Mr F, who showed symptoms of, and was later diagnosed with, a hernia. Mr F underwent a routine inguinal hernia operation without complications. Later that year, Mr F married and attempted to start a family with his wife. You’ll learn about the compensation amounts he received and find out about the claims process in general.
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Select a Section
- Hernia Mesh Problems UK – Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For Hernia Mesh Complications?
- What Injuries Were Sustained During This Case?
- Establishing Liability And The Hernia Settlement
- Examples of Hernia Settlement Amounts
- How Much Time Do I Have To Seek Hernia Compensation?
- Legal Expert’s No Win No Fee Solicitors
- Contact Legal Expert To Claim For Hernia Medical Negligence Today
- Useful Links
Hernia Mesh Problems UK – Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For Hernia Mesh Complications?
Medical professionals have a duty of care to their patients. This means they need to provide the correct standard of care. It is considered clinical or medical negligence when the care they provide falls below this standard, causing a patient to experience avoidable harm as a result.
Hernia mesh problems can occur when the mesh used during a hernia surgery causes complications. For example, the bowel could be damaged or the hernia could return after surgery. Other hernia mesh complications that could arise include adhesions and infection of the surgical wound.
However, you might not always be able to seek compensation for harm sustained after a hernia operation. Conditions which may make you eligible to claim are:
- You are owed a duty of care
- There is a breach of the duty of care
- The breach resulted in you experiencing avoidable harm as a result. This is known as medical negligence.
If you’ve developed hernia mesh problems due to a doctor’s negligence, you may have grounds to claim compensation. Although it is not required by law, using legal assistance may help you through the claims process. Our solicitors at Legal Expert are also able to help you gather the evidence you need to prove medical negligence occurred. You can reach out to our advisors using the number at the top of this page.
What Injuries Were Sustained During This Case?
As we said, after Mr F married, he and his wife attempted to start a family. After failing to conceive for some time, tests showed an absence of sperm in his semen. Upon learning this, Mr F saw a urologist, who, after some investigation, concluded that Mr F’s loss of sperm was caused by an obstruction at the level of the inguinal canal, meaning that his body was no longer able to carry sperm from the testicles to the urethra.
How can this happen?
Many hernia sufferers who are due to undergo a hernia operation worry that a hernia causes infertility. An inguinal hernia and reproduction shouldn’t be a worry to patients if the operation goes as planned, however an inguinal hernia and reproduction is a worry to male patients if a mistake or another form of medical negligence occurs during their operation, which accidentally injures the vas deferens – tubes which carry sperms from the testicles to the urethra, leaving the patient infertile. This was the type of harm that Mr F had suffered.
As a result of this medical negligence, Mr F suffered infertility, which meant that he could no longer naturally father a child. This caused him psychological damage. He and his wife experienced depression and anxiety at not being able to start a family. What’s more, they had to undergo invasive and costly fertility treatment.
Establishing Liability And The Hernia Settlement
Mr F, the Claimant, sought compensation for his hernia operation medical negligence from the hospital trust where his operation had taken place. Unfortunately, rather than admit liability the Defendant changed their case for defence three times during the case proceedings, arguing first that the damage had resulted from an operation the Claimant had undergone when he was four years old, secondly that it was a congenital abnormality and thirdly, a severe fibrotic reaction to the mesh used during Mr F’s operation.
Fortunately, rather than have the case proceed to court, a settlement meeting took place between Mr F’s legal team and the Defendant, where they agreed to pay Mr F £140,000 in compensation for this hernia operation. Clients often ask us how much compensation they can get for a hernia operation mistake. The best thing to do here is to reach out to an advisor, who may put you in touch with one of our specialist solicitors.
Examples of Hernia Settlement Amounts
The hernia mesh compensation paid out to Mr F included a payment for general damages, as all hernia compensation payouts do.
General damages take account of physical pain and psychological trauma directly resulting from negligent treatment. The people responsible for calculating hernia settlement amounts can refer to medical evidence when assessing general damages.
Additionally, they can get some guidance from suggested compensation brackets. These brackets can be found in the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), a document which pairs them with various forms of harm. You can find a selection of them below, but please remember that, since they are only suggestive, they should not be seen as a guarantee of compensation.
Compensation Brackets
As Mr F’s case has shown, compensation for a hernia caused by medical negligence could go up to £140,000 or beyond. The following JCG brackets are divided by severity. Please note that Mr F’s settlement was not taken from the JCG. The initial figure is also not from the document:
- Up to £150,000+ for more than 1 form of severe harm, together with financial losses, such as private medical treatments.
- Hernia (a) – £18,180 to £29,490.
- Hernia (b) – £8,560 to £11,120.
- Hernia (c) – £4,140 to £8,830.
- Severe Psychiatric Harm (a) – £23,270 to £66,920.
- Moderate Psychiatric Harm (c) – £7,150 to £23,270.
Can I Claim For Financial Loss?
General damages might not be the only part of a medical negligence settlement. If the harm you suffer from has a financial impact, then special damages can account for those losses. This might include:
- Missing work. A special damages payment can consider current and future loss of earnings if you aren’t able to return to work.
- Paying for travel to and from appointments.
- Expenses related to physical or psychological therapy.
- Buying medical equipment or physical aids.
Keep documents that highlight monetary loss, as they are needed to claim for them. For example, payslips or receipts can help with special damages calculations.
If you want to know more about compensation for a hernia medical negligence case, simply call our helpline today. An advisor can also give you a more personalised review of what you might be able to claim for.
How Much Time Do I Have To Seek Hernia Compensation?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, you have 3 years to start your hernia compensation claim. This could be counted from the date that you suffered the harm or the date from which you should have been able to connect the harm you suffered to a breach of duty. However, the time limit will pause if the individual:
- Is a minor: The 3-year time limit will apply only once the minor turns 18.
- Has reduced mental capacity: In this case, the time limit will not take effect unless and unless mental capacity is regained.
In both the above cases, the time limit is paused because someone cannot claim for themselves. Instead, during this pause, a trusted person could apply to become a litigation friend and seek hernia compensation payouts on their behalf. This option is available until:
- The minor turns 18.
- The individual regains their mental capacity.
Speak to our advisors now for more details on the time limits for medical negligence claims.
Legal Expert’s No Win No Fee Solicitors
At Legal Expert, our friendly team of advisors and No Win No Fee solicitors are here to help you if you’ve suffered unnecessarily due to hernia medical negligence. As part of the free services that we offer, you can get a case check to look at the strengths of your claim.
If you have a valid claim, you could pursue compensation for hernia medical negligence with one of our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors. They have decades of combined experience and always put the needs of their clients at the heart of the claims process.
Our solicitors firmly believe that anyone who is eligible to claim should be free to do so, regardless of their financial background. That is why they operate under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which ensures:
- No solicitor fees at the start of a claim
- No solicitor fees throughout the claims process
- No solicitor fees at all if a claim is unsuccessful
When our clients win, they pay for their solicitors’ work through something called a success fee. This is deducted from the compensation, but the percentage is capped by law. Therefore, you’ll have peace of mind from the outset that you’ll receive the bulk of your compensation.
If you sign a CFA, your medical negligence hernia compensation claim will benefit from a range of quality services, including:
- Regular case updates so you always know where your claim stands
- Help with evidence gathering, such as eyewitness statements and an independent medical assessment to evaluate the harm you suffered.
- Advice that strictly adheres to the rules of confidentiality
- Explanations of key legal terminologies
- Assistance with signing important legal documents
- A dedicated approach to negotiations to ensure any hernia compensation payouts fairly reflect your experiences
To learn more about the services offered by our solicitors and to see how you could benefit from a CFA, please contact one of our helpful advisors today.
Contact Legal Expert To Claim For Hernia Medical Negligence Today
Contact Legal Expert today to see if one of our experienced solicitors could help you make your hernia medical claim. To know more about hernia settlement amounts, contact us now:
- Call us at 0800 073 8804.
- Claim online through our form.
- Chat with us.
Useful Links
There are some more guides from our site which may be helpful:
- Learn about our medical negligence claims calculator.
- Find out about claiming for a misdiagnosis.
- See if you can claim after being discharged prematurely from hospital.
Here are some external links which may be helpful:
- Government guidance on statutory sick pay (SSP).
- Information from the CQC on complaining about a healthcare service.
- Details from the NHS on first aid.
Thank you for reading our guide on compensation for hernia medical negligence.
