The tragic loss of Clive Worthington, a native of Harlow, Essex, leaves his bereaved daughter, Gina Tilly, disillusioned with the industrial systems that failed her father. Worthington, a victim of malpractice committed during dental surgery in Hungary in 2008, spent subsequent years contending with the repercussions of the botched medical intervention. Despite numerous corrective treatments by the same UK-based practitioner, no significant progress was achieved.
In the aftermath of this unfortunate sequence of events, the governing bodies pledged their commitment to address a certain regulatory loophole. This loophole effectively disallowed the aged Worthington from claiming rightful compensation. His death in 2022 provoked an inquest, which eventually led to a verdict of suicide.
Senior Essex coroner, Lincoln Brookes, attested to the profound influence of Worthington’s protracted suffering on his mental wellbeing. The physical aftermath of the poorly performed dental surgery inflicted insurmountable challenges on his everyday life, hastening his tragic demise.
Tilly’s poignant account of her father’s ordeal — the aftermath of a life abruptly halted — casts a damning light on the grave oversight in regulatory measures. She deeply regrets that her father’s life had to end under such circumstances.
The dentist responsible, Dr. Eszter Gömbös from Perfect Profiles, was held accountable for the medical negligence by the General Dental Council (GDC) in 2017. Subsequently, Worthington was awarded hefty reparations of £117,378 in damages and legal fees by the Chelmsford County Court in November 2019. This settlement ranked among the largest pay-outs for dental negligence across the UK.
However, insurmountable obstacles arose when the Dental Defence Union (DDU), the insurer for Dr. Gömbös, invoked the lesser-known clause of “discretionary indemnity,” refusing empathy-driven payment of the claim. Tilly expressed her exasperation at the seemingly nonsensical, outdated insurance system, highlighting the need for total reform.
Paul Judkins, the solicitor responsible for securing the reparations, also emphasized the astronomical dilemmas linked with the “discretionary indemnity” loophole. Moreover, Perfect Profiles, Dr. Gömbös’s erstwhile employer, reportedly ceased operation in 2022. The DDU declined to comment on the case specifics or their refusal to honor the awarded compensation, stating only their sorrow over Mr. Worthington’s unfortunate death.
The GDC voiced its frustration with legislative weaknesses, stating, “Patients must be able to seek compensation in the rare event that something goes wrong in their dental care.”
In response, the Department of Health and Social Care conceded to pre-existing apprehensions concerning discretionary indemnity. As part of their commitment to improving patient safety and compensation access, they referenced their significant progress over the last decade. This includes implementing the first-ever NHS Patient Safety Strategy from 2019.
Gina Tilly remains steadfast in her pursuit of justice for her father, taking up the mantle he himself had donned before his demise. She is driven by the haunting specter of her father’s painful end and the desire to prevent similar tragedies.
Clive Worthington, a craftsperson specializing in wood and the familial pillar to three children and five grandchildren, is remembered in heartfelt tributes and urgent calls for system reform.
