Whilst she made a recovery from her initial injuries, she has still not made a full recovery from the MSSA bug she contracted. She became very very ill, was partially paralysed for months and had to learn to walk again during her recovery.

The main reason for the significant amount of the award is that as a result of contracting the bug Lesley Ash will not be able to pursue an active acting career. Whereas before the bug she was at the height of her career, having appeared in "Men Behaving Badly" amongst other programmes she was set to continue to receive other good roles. The illness prevents her from every pursuing such a future acting career and this is the main reason why her claim is so high.

The court papers issued said Lesley Ash "suffered mild paraparesis, loss of some power and motor control of the legs" and continue with "It is unlikely that she would have been able to return to an active role as an actress."

Her compensation payout relates to both money actually lost, ie jobs she could not do, but also jobs she would have been offered in the future had she been fit to work again.

The NHS Litigation Authority show that compensation payment for superbugs is a rapidly growing area, with only £450,000 being paid out in total to patients in 2002-03 but £4.8 million being paid out between 2004 and 2006.

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