Pages On: Medical Negligence

CCC order weekly heart unit reports

Posted: 15 March 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), have ordered Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital to submit weekly reports monitoring the heart unit for the “foreseeable future” following concerns raised about high death rates during or following heart procedures. The Commission confirmed that it would be publishing its results in the near future. “a cluster of deaths” The University Hospitals Birmingham Trust that runs the hospital revealed that concerns had been raised following “a cluster of deaths”, and that a surgeon had been dismissed when it was found that he had been misrepresenting…

Diabetic could have been saved

Posted: 1 March 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Type 1 diabetic, 27-year-old Lisa Day, could have been saved if an ambulance had arrived sooner, a coroner has stated.  Ms Day, from Saffron Walden in Essex, was with her friend Luke Halliburton when she fell ill in September of 2015.  She was living in West Hampstead in north London when she became ill.  The inquest heard that she had to wait almost five hours for an ambulance to arrive, during which time she suffered a heart attack and became unconscious.  Ms Day never regained consciousness.  Struggling to cope with…

47-year-old dies as a result of undiagnosis

Posted: 9 February 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A coroner’s inquest into the death of 47-year-old Jeanette Scully heard that she had made 58 medical visits in the five months leading up to her death. Ms Scully died from an aggressive form of cancer and was in extreme pain due to the rare malignant tumour that spread throughout her pelvis and abdomen.  The hearing in Sunderland Civic Centre was told that Ms Scully had first approached her GP in 2012 suffering from abdominal pain and rectal bleeding.  She was also experiencing pain in her back, hip and thighs. Diagnosed…

Dentist in “biggest recall in NHS history”

Posted: 31 January 2016

Posted in: Dental Negligence, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

The 18-month suspension of Desmond D’Mello, the dentist involved in “the biggest recall in NHS history” could be extended by another few months if the High Court rules in favour of the extension by the General Dental Council (GDC).  The suspension, which was imposed in August of 2014, is due to expire in February.  Experts need more time to investigate after around 22 thousand patients were recalled, many to be tested for HIV and Hepatitis.  A further 4526 patients were screened for blood-bourne viruses following D’Mello’s suspension from the Daybrook…

Severe loss of care home beds

Posted: 30 January 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence

In a report presented to the Greater Huddersfield Commissioning Group it has been revealed that one in seven care home beds have been lost last year in Kirklees despite demand for places increasing.  NHS chiefs learned that out of 1750 beds, 258 had been lost in 2015 due to several care homes being closed either due to financial concerns or failure to meet Care Quality Commission standards.  The report also highlighted the risk of further losses due to standards not being met in the future.  Of the 258 losses, 171…

Jeremy Hunt announces plans to halve baby deaths in UK

Posted: 16 November 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence

According to a 2011 study by the Lancet Medical Journal, it was found that England has higher figures than the rest of much of the developed world for stillbirths. As a result of this, and subsequent studies, Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to halve the number of stillbirths and new born deaths in the UK by 2030. On top of this, the health secretary also stated that the Government has committed to reducing the number of brain injuries sustained during or after birth. The Lancet Medical Journal’s study found that…

Experimental heart surgery causes death

Posted: 2 November 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A judge at London’s High Court has awarded damages of £13,686 to the daughter of a man who died as a result of experimental surgery on his heart in 2007.  Mr William Ewan, 86, died in Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital of complications during a key-hole operation which caused him to bleed to death.  Mr Ewan’s daughter, Gabriele Shaw, from Cheshire, was awarded the compensation by Mr Justice Warby after a two day hearing.  During the hearing, the court heard that Mr Ewan had been an “intelligent and active” man who could…

Cancer diagnosis variation ‘unacceptable’

Posted: 28 October 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

Following a study carried out between 2012 and 2013 by Cancer Research UK, it is claimed that around 20,000 cases of cancer could have been detected earlier if cancer care was as good as the best demonstrated practice in England.  They described the “unacceptable variations” as causing concern throughout the regions, with the worst area for early diagnosis being Merseyside where half of all cancers detected were discovered in the late stages. Areas in the south of England, such as Bath, Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire were found to be the…

Mother awarded £725,000 over birthing complications

Posted: 25 October 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Shoulder Injuries

The mother of a baby that was left permanently disabled following birthing complications has been awarded £725,000 in compensation. The woman, who remains anonymous, claimed that Sister Rosemary Murphy at Law Hospital’s maternity unit failed to deliver her baby son properly in 1999. It was heard at Court of Sessions in Edinburgh earlier this year that Sister Murphy had delivered the baby in a way that caused him to suffered a severe shoulder injury. It was heard that a student midwife had initially attempted to deliver the baby, yet when…

Mental health patients being ‘ignored’

Posted: 14 October 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A recent study has found that people suffering with mental health problems in England are five times as likely to be admitted to hospital as an emergency than individuals who do not. The Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation said that the majority of these admissions were actually for physical problems, with only 20% of admissions being explicitly linked to mental health. The researchers that compiled the study said that the findings imply that the NHS is too often treating mental health conditions in isolation. The Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation’s…

Undiagnosed injury case settled

Posted: 7 September 2015

Posted in: Foot Injuries, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Robert McCartney has been awarded compensation after his tendon injury went undiagnosed for several weeks. He brought the medical negligence claim against his GP after he was turned away and told to rest despite his clear symptoms of a ruptured tendo-achilles. In April 2010, Mr McCartney had been outside his home when he slipped backwards off a step and experienced a ‘snap’ sensation in the back of his left ankle. When it became swollen and the pain increased, he applied ice packs and rested his ankle that evening. The next…

Teenager’s bone cancer misdiagnosed as sports injury

Posted: 21 August 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis, Sporting Injuries

A 16-year-old girl was told by her GP on ten separate occasions that the pain she was experiencing was simply a sports injury. Melissa Sutton, from Rochdale in Lancashire, was a keen trampoliner when she first visited her GP with pain in her ribs. However, after being sent away and told to rest, the pain continued to increase and she started to experience difficulty breathing. When her mother began to suspect that something was wrong, she returned to the GP but was told that it was a pulled muscle ten…

Cancer Misdiagnosis leaves mother with days to live

Posted: 20 July 2015

Posted in: Hip Injuries, Leg Injuries, Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

33-year-old Kaley Fitzsimmons has issued an appeal after doctors blamed the symptoms of her cancer on ‘over-exercising’ after giving birth. Ms Fitzsimmons gave birth to her daughter in April of last year, after years of thinking she would be unable to have a baby due to kidney failure. She finally underwent a successful kidney transplant at the age of 15. Ms Fitzsimmons said: “I had always wanted to be a mother and was grateful that my transplant had made that possible. We were over the moon.” Ms Fitzsimmons, a fitness…

Hospital due to pay out millions for causing autism

Posted: 29 June 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence

East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust is facing a compensation payout of millions of pounds after a couple recognised that medical negligence was responsible for their son’s autism. Ben Harman’s parents are taking the trust to court with the belief that their son’s autism was caused by a birthing accident at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in 2002. They only recognised that this could be the case when they applied for a disabled parking badge. Ben’s parents began to worry about their son’s wellbeing when he failed to reach certain milestones during…

12-year-old wins £120,000 over swine-flu jab

Posted: 15 June 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A 12-year-old boy has been awarded £120,000 in compensation after a swine flu vaccination left him severely disabled. Iain Duncan Smith finally lost the three-year legal battle last week, described as a ‘landmark ruling’ that could open a number of compensation cases by others affected by the vaccination. The 12-year-old boy, referred to during the case as ‘John’, will face a lifetime of suffering from narcolepsy as a result of the swine flu jab Pandremix. The Government could now be forced to pay out millions of pounds in compensation to…

Legal test case could cost NHS millions

Posted: 8 May 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

The husband of Julie Ronayne has won thousands of pounds in compensation for nervous shock after witnessing his wife’s severe peritonitis following a botched operation. It was heard in court that Edward Ronayne suffered a severe psychiatric injury after witnessing his wife’s condition, which later led to him developing an “adjustment disorder”. Mrs Ronayne developed peritonitis after undergoing a negligent hysterectomy carried out at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2008. The infection caused Mrs Ronayne to break out in severe swelling all over her body. After eventually making a full recovery,…

Man dies in ‘under-pressure’ hospital

Posted: 2 May 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

West Midlands Ambulance Service has said calling a “disaster doctor” to care for patients in Worcestershire Royal Hospital in April was “unprecedented” and a “decision not taken lightly”.  This was following the death of Mr John Flaherty who experienced long delays in receiving medical attention at the hospital after a serious fall.  Mr Flaherty, who suffered from ill health, was left at least five hours on a trolley in the accident and emergency ward on 10 April.  He died five days later.  Ambulance bosses have confirmed that they decided to…

Four Seasons Care Home under scrutiny

Posted: 14 April 2015

Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Medical Negligence

Police and Social Services are investigating allegations that a member of staff at the Laburnum Court Care Home in Lower Broughton, Salford assaulted an elderly resident in their care.  Greater Manchester Police said it was “called to a care home in the Salford Area on 7 April following reports a resident had been assaulted”. Salford City Council stated that it is “confident appropriate measures” are in place at the home.  A spokesperson for the City Council added that it would work closely with all relevant agencies, adding “The investigation is…

Only 10% of GPs find appointment slots adequate

Posted: 10 April 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Only 10% of the 15,500 UK GPs surveyed by the British Medical Association believe that the standard 10-minute patient appointment slot is sufficient to provide a quality service to patients.  Only 87% of patients are being seen within the 18-week target introduced in 2008 – this should be 90%.  These are the worst levels since the introduction of the targets. 39,000 patients requiring treatments such as hip and knee replacements are being forced to wait longer than the 18-week target according to figures published on Thursday for February of this…

MPs call for an NHS accident investigations unit

Posted: 31 March 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Following recent debate, MPs have called for the launch of a national medical accident investigations unit. Members of the House of Commons Public Administration select committee said that it was a much called for service due to the scale of problems currently being handled within the NHS.  The group of MPs described the current accident investigations system as “too complicated” and complained that it “took too long”. Government ministers agreed that such a unit was required after the publication of the ‘Morecambe Bay hospital inquiry’, detailing the figures surrounding baby…

Cancer delays are a “serious concern”

Posted: 23 March 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

Following a widespread review of the Isle of Man’s health services, its most recent phrase highlighted some “serious concerns” about delays in cancer diagnosis. The West Midlands Quality Review Service (WMQRS) found that the current practice was delaying diagnosis “by up to a year” for some patients. October of this year saw the fourth phase of the £200,000 review, commissioned by the Manx government, carried out, which looked specifically at the Isle of Man’s cancer services. The review identified “widespread” problems in the referral system, with the report stating: “Some…

Prison nurse struck off over medical errors

Posted: 15 March 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A prison nurse has been struck off the register after making a series of medical errors. Yvonne Rumsey started working at HMP Bullwood Hall near Hockley, Essex in the 1980s. Recent investigations by a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), however, found that she made a number of errors with anti-depressant and heroine substitution medications in 2011 and 2012. Mrs Rumsey was asked to leave her position in the prison in 2012 and has now been struck off the council’s register completely. Investigations by the NMC found that on one occasion…

Skull surgeon compensation scheme

Posted: 7 March 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

An NHS Trust has set up a compensation scheme for all those affected by the negligent treatment of an NHS surgeon. Roger Bainton was a skull surgeon who reconstructed the faces of accident and assault victims at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.  However, it was discovered during an investigation by the General Medical Council (GMC) that he was using an unproven bone substitute to rebuild the faces of patients. Of all 88 patients that he treated, 18 were harmed as a result of this experimental procedure. Mr Bainton was…

Patients may not receive negligence compensation

Posted: 13 February 2015

Posted in: Dental Negligence, Medical Negligence

The patients of a former dentist who was suspended following hygiene concerns have been told that they may not receive any compensation whatsoever. Over 22,000 patients were recalled in June last year after the dentist was suspended for severe hygiene failings. A whistleblower went to health authorities after secret filming caught him repeatedly not washing his hands, not sterilising equipment, and not changing his gloves between patients. The Daybrook Practice of Desmond D’Mello had to call back 22,000 patients, defined as the “biggest recall in NHS history”. Patients were screened…

Young girl awarded £10m

Posted: 1 February 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence

A seven-year-old girl who is described as having her mind “trapped in a body” has been awarded £10m in compensation following birthing errors.  Eva Totham from south-east London was starved of oxygen during birth in 2007, which left her with severe cerebral palsy. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust admitted failings and accepted liability for her brain injuries. The compensation package awarded to Eva will cover all past and future care costs and loss of earnings as Mrs Justice Elisabeth Laing ruled that she most likely would have attended university.…

Nurse ignored child care worries

Posted: 20 January 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The parents of a one-year-old girl who died following heart surgery at Bristol Children’s Hospital (BCH) said that they voiced concerns regarding her care before she died. Isabella Janew, from Gloucester, was born with a rare heart defect in April 2012.  Following an operation to widen a heart valve in September 2013, however, she went into cardiac arrest and died. Her parents said that they had repeatedly raised concerns about their daughter’s care with an intensive care nurse, but nothing was done. Isabella’s father, Daniel, and mother, Debbie, had asked…

Ambulance downgrading causes death

Posted: 15 January 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

According to a recently released report, a number of patients died after their 999 calls were downgraded at the ambulance emergency department. It was found that a total of 57 deaths were caused by East of England Trust ambulances not being sent out or arriving too late. This came as a result of guidelines being relaxed by the call centre managers without any consultation between 18 December 2013 and 22 February 2014. It was admitted last week by the trust that a total of 8,324 patients were affected by the…

Ambulance officer admits hillsborough disaster failings

Posted: 7 December 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Public Place Accidents, Sporting Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A senior ambulance officer recently admitted to failings which played a part in the Hillsborough disaster.  Paul Eason told the inquest that he and a colleague were supposed to be the “eyes and ears” of the ambulance service control room, but failed to “properly assess” the unfolding tragedy. The Hillsborough disaster saw ninety-six Liverpool fans die in the crush on 15 April 1989. Mr Eason said that on the day of the accident his “eyes were blurred and his ears were blocked”. He, the fellow station officer Patrick Higgins, and…

GPs failing to detect liver disease in early stages

Posted: 1 December 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A recent report found that GPs across the UK are failing to detect the early stages of liver disease. The report, which was published in The Lancet, highlighted that the UK has one of the worst death rates for liver disease in Europe. The report states that liver disease is the third most common cause of premature death in the UK, with the number of deaths only rising every year. Leading medical experts said that the “virtually non-existent” detection of the disease is partly down to doctors often using “outdated”…

A&E care ‘still unsafe’

Posted: 26 November 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A recent inspection found that the A&E department of a Kent hospital is ‘still unsafe’. The Care Quality Commission carried out an inspection on 26 August and found that the hospital was unable to maintain safe standards of care.  An earlier inspection of the hospital, in July 2013, put the hospital under ‘special measures’ after it was found to be in a “crisis situation”. There was severe overcrowding, blood-stained walls, and potentially life-threatening unsafe practices. The most recent inspection found that the care of patients “remained flawed”.  Inspectors highlighted one…

Mother drinking during pregnancy equivalent to manslaughter

Posted: 10 November 2014

Posted in: Birth Injury, Criminal Injury and Assault

A compensation claim was recently opened on behalf of a baby that was subjected to heavy drinking while in the womb.  The court appeal described the damage inflicted upon the unborn baby as equivalent to ‘an attempt at manslaughter’. The lawyers behind the young girl’s claim, who is now aged seven, said that she was entitled to payments from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The young girl’s case raised numerous complex questions. One debate attempted to determine whether or not the mother’s drinking habits were in fact a criminal…

“Missed opportunities” in cancer treatment

Posted: 14 October 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

Recent research has revealed that doctors across the country are missing the early signs of lung cancer.  With lung cancer killing more than 35,000 people a year – being the biggest cause of cancer death in the UK – researchers have revealed that more could be done to catch it in its early stages. Scientists working at the University of Nottingham carried out an investigation into why fewer people in the UK with lung cancer survive than in other countries.  It was found that in Britain only around 30% of…

NHS at ‘breaking point’

Posted: 6 October 2014

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Numerous charities and leading medical groups have warned that the NHS is at “breaking point”.  A letter composed by the leaders of these organisations was released over the weekend, highlighting the vast number of problems that need to be fixed in order for the NHS to be saved from it “buckling under the twin crises of rising demand and flat-lining budgets”. The letter highlighted that patient care and staff morale are two key areas being consistently neglected by the NHS.  Within these two core zones for improvement, patients are struggling…

Care home fails patients

Posted: 30 September 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A care home in Suffolk has failed to provide adequate care to its patients, highlighted by a recent Care Quality Commission report. Mildenhall Lodge, run by Care UK, failed to provide satisfactory care in four out of five of the key standard categories. Problems included serious staff shortages and the insufficient monitoring of diabetic patients.  One Green and independent group leader on Suffolk County Council, Mark Ereira-Guyer, said that the care provided by the home was “treachery” to vulnerable people. Care UK home opened the care in June as part…

Man’s death was preventable

Posted: 28 September 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

An inquest into the death of 20-year-old John Moore-Robinson found that he could easily have been saved. Mr Moore-Robinson died in his home in 2006 after he was discharged from hospital with an undiagnosed ruptured spleen.  Despite his obvious symptoms, the doctor diagnosed him as having bruised ribs following an x-ray.  He collapsed only hours after being discharged and later died at home. The incident happened following a mountain bike accident on Cannock Chase, in Staffordshire.  Mr Moore-Robinson was taken immediately to A&E at the scandal-hit hospital, Stafford Hospital, where…

NHS complaints continue to rise

Posted: 28 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Official data has revealed that NHS England receives an average of 480 complaints every day.  This has been recorded by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) as an 8% rise in 2013-14 on the previous year.  Complaints cover all aspects of the health service, ranging from GPs to ambulances. With the data already presenting a worrying figure, a patients’ watchdog said that this is just the tip of the iceberg.  In 2013-14 a total of 174,900 complaints were made about the NHS.  The previous year, however, saw only…

Hospital apologises for ‘failure’

Posted: 20 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

A hospital in Nottingham has apologised to the family of a man with cancer who died after being sent home with pneumonia.  60-year-old Richard Sharp from Bilborough died about an hour after being sent home from Nottingham City Hospital with clear symptoms of pneumonia. He died with his wife Kim by his side in March 2013. Mr Sharp, who was already fighting lung cancer, had been attending a pre-operative clinic at Nottingham City Hospital when he started to show signs of pneumonia.  Despite the symptoms being very clear, hospital staff…

Suspended GP returns to work

Posted: 12 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Despite numerous complaints from members of the public, a doctor that was suspended in 2012 has been allowed to return to work.  Dr Nagy Gabriel was suspended from the register after “patient safety concerns” were highlighted in an inquiry in March 2012.  Since the news was released, over 20 patients from the surgery in Kent have complained that he should not be permitted to return. Having been out of work for two years, the General Medical Council has allowed him to return to work as a GP under the condition…

Cumberland Infirmary patients warned

Posted: 8 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust has been forced to write to 357 patients after it was found that equipment at the hospital had not been cleaned properly.  The letters informed the past patients that the machines used to clean their endoscopes had not used enough disinfectant.  The trust reassured the patients that the risk of infection was very low, but offered a blood test to those concerned by the finding. An endoscope is a small tube with a camera on the end that, when inserted into the body, can…

Staff shortages in NHS continue to cause problems

Posted: 1 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Managers of West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven have warned that staff shortages are jeopardising the quality of care being provided to patients.  Earlier this year, numerous junior doctors were withdrawn from the wards due to a lack of senior supervision.  As a result, the gaps have been filled with locum support provided by neighbouring trusts to fill the rotas. North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust said that the problem of staff shortages is a national one, with trusts all over the country struggling to remain adequately staffed.  However, they stressed…

Poor training putting lives at risk?

Posted: 16 June 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

The NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been warned that gaps in their training for patients with tracheostomies could be putting lives at risk. A tracheostomy is a procedure whereby a tube is inserted into the windpipe (trachea) of a patient to ensure that they are receiving oxygen.  This is used quite often to help patients move away from ventilators and get them out of critical care beds and into general wards. With this procedure becoming increasingly popular in hospitals, a recent report has found that major improvements…

A&E delays persisting problem

Posted: 8 June 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A report has found that delays in patients reaching A&E are seriously impacting the North East Ambulance Service.  Within six months of last year there were a recorded 10,599 delays, with 196 being over two hours. This saw paramedics unable to respond to waiting 999 calls alongside a host of other problems.  The report highlighted that the University Hospital of North Durham (UHND) had the most delays.  A spokesperson admitted that some patients experienced an “appalling process of care”. Medical Director of County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust, Chris Gray,…

Cancer surgery team “dysfunctional”

Posted: 17 May 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A recent report into the deaths of five cancer patients at a hospital in Kent has found that the surgery team was “dysfunctional”. The review of the cancer unit at Maidstone Hospital – carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) – actually took place in October, but has only now been made public due to pressure from victim’s families.  Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust finally agreed to make the report public, with the dynamics of the surgery team described as “dangerous”. The review found that the upper-gastrointestinal…

Hospital infection rates remain far too high

Posted: 22 April 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

An NHS watchdog has found that not enough is being done by hospital staff to prevent the spread of infection. Around 300,000 patients in England develop an infection during their stay in an NHS hospital every year.  Prof Gillian Leng from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said that the rates are unacceptable, and more needs to be done to prevent it.  They have already issued “quality standards” on many measures including hand-washing and catheter insertion. Well-known hospital infections, such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile, have seen…

NHS Trust faces investigation following death

Posted: 15 April 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims, Wrongful & Accidental Death

An NHS trust faces investigation following the death of a patient who was being treated under critical care at Hereford County Hospital. The death of the patient came after a complaint had been made concerning the hospital’s medical and surgical management, which has been referred to the NHS ombudsman.  A second complaint had also been made against the Trust after a patient underwent a hysterectomy, arguing that she had been “unhappy” about the standard of follow-up treatment. WYE Valley NHS Trust (WVT) has seen a recent increase in complaints, with latest…

Hospital watchdog identifies a ‘huge variation’ in hospital care

Posted: 8 April 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

England’s health watchdog chairman said that there is a ‘huge variation’ in the care provided by England’s hospitals, with some that “you would not want to go to as a patient”.  David Prior said that the Care Quality Commision (CQC) was shocked by the findings as care standards varied greatly between individual hospital trusts. Mr Prior said during an interview, which marked his first year with the CQC, that some hospitals had a culture in which staff felt that they couldn’t raise concerns, and where patients felt that they weren’t…

NHS wants to halve serious mistakes

Posted: 27 March 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has suggested that individual NHS trusts draw up plans to reduce the number of serious mistakes they make every year.  He hopes to potentially halve the number of serious, and avoidable, mistakes made within the NHS, with the hope to save around 6,000 lives over the next three years.  The project, called ‘Sign up to Safety’, will be wholly reliant on individual trusts identifying the number of mistakes they make, from which they will each be able to draw up a plan to potentially reduce the…

Pensioner had five-hour ambulance wait

Posted: 12 March 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A pensioner from Nottingham had to wait five hours for an ambulance after the phone call was logged incorrectly.  Stewart Maltby’s GP had been visiting Mr Matlby at his home in Farnsfield having recently suffered a stroke and abdominal surgery.  Finding that he was severely dehydrated, GP John Porter requested an ambulance to be sent within 2 hours, which arrived 5 hours later.  Stewart Maltby died of kidney failure and other problems two days later. An inquest at Nottingham town hall heard that the individual who answered the call had…

Stafford Hospital may change name following negligence scandal

Posted: 11 February 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

The NHS Trust due to take over Stafford Hospital is in discussion about whether or not the hospital should be renamed to escape negative connotations following the negligence scandal of last year. The trust that operates the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS), based in Stoke-on-Trent, said that the board discussed the possibility of renaming the hospital on Friday.  This would mean changing the names of both Stafford Hospital and the main hospital in Stoke-on-Trent to its own name. Prior to going into administration, the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust was…

Custody healthcare is failing

Posted: 31 January 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A new report has revealed that the Met Police is severely struggling to provide those in custody with adequate medical assistance.  With the wellbeing of detainees being a “key priority” of The Met’s, it has been agreed that more has to be done.  A London Assembly committee said that there was a 60% shortfall in nursing numbers for the care of people in custody, with The Met being more than 100 nurses short of the 198 it intended to have by 2012. The report highlighted that the “major problem” was…

Hospital death could have been avoided

Posted: 27 November 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims, Wrongful & Accidental Death

After a radiology specialist accidentally cut an artery of a man suffering from high blood pressure, a coroner said that his death could have been “avoided”. 47-year-old Brian Galea, from Preston, was admitted to the Royal Preston Hospital on the 14th of August last year, but died only a few hours later due to the specialist’s serious error. It was heard at Preston Coroner’s Court that the specialist had been trying to remove a blood clot at the time of the incident, accidently tearing one of his arteries.  Coroner Dr…

Secret filming in the NHS reveals worrying treatment of brain injury patients

Posted: 20 November 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

BBC Newsnight has revealed worryingly low standards of care being provided to patients suffering from brain injuries in NHS hospitals.  Secret footage was passed onto Newsnight by the partner of a brain-injury victim, which showed extreme cases of patient neglect and highlighted hospital failures concerning safety procedures.  After seeing the footage, one expert told Newsnight that the levels of care being provided to patients would result in longer and poorer recoveries from their injuries. NHS England has defended the case by telling BBC that they are constantly trying to improve…

Hospital improvements recognised

Posted: 11 November 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Since the Keogh Review placed Basildon Hospital under the spotlight for their worryingly high death rates, inspectors have found that vast improvements are actually being made.  The hospital has been heavily scrutinized for the last year after reports found quite serious hospital failings, however, inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have since recognised great progress. A “different place” A group of Care Quality Commission inspectors spent two days at the NHS Trust in Basildon, with great improvements being witnessed across many areas.  It was found that the cardiac and…

Patient death caused by ‘wrong gas’

Posted: 10 September 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

An investigation has been launched into the death of a patient at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital after being given the ‘wrong gas’ during an operation.  The investigation is being carried out by the hospital’s trust, which argues that the cause of the death is still not certain. Details concerning the death of the individual have been passed onto the Worcestershire coroner, but cannot be released until the investigation has closed.  The trust believes that although there is a link between the supposed error and the patient’s death, it has not,…

More staff to combat high death rates in Cumbria

Posted: 20 August 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

After hospitals across north Cumbria were continually criticised for their high death rates, they have employed an extensive number of new doctors and nurses as a result.  The North Cumbria Hospitals Trust was one of the eleven trusts put on to a ‘special measures’ program following the Keogh Review last month.  The review found the trust to have worryingly high death rates, which they have decided to combat by employing more staff. The trust said that a total of 82 new medical staff have been recruited in their Carlisle and…

Health Trust payout following death of diabetic

Posted: 13 August 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

After the family of Margaret Pitt (55) were “let down so badly” by health workers at Alexandra Hospital, an undisclosed settlement has been paid out to Mrs. Pitt’s family.  The nurses working in Alexandra Hospital – part of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust – failed to monitor Mrs. Pitt’s glucose levels properly, which led to her death in November 2010. Margaret Pitt, from Redditch, had lived with type 1 diabetes for the last 30 years of her life, yet died due to an irreversible brain injury following the failures of…

Lincolnshire hospitals seek nurses from overseas

Posted: 9 August 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

After receiving a poor local response, the United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust (ULHT) has been urged to recruit an increasing number of their nurses from overseas.  This has stemmed from a recent review carried out by NHS England’s medical director, Bruce Keogh, who put the ULHT under a special measures programme following inadequate findings. The trust had been criticised for numerous reasons, including poor staffing levels, a poor patient experience and too many changes in leadership.  The board believes that in order to combat these issues they have had to look…

Hospital insists that it can cope with changes

Posted: 3 August 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

After administrators recommended a transfer of services from Stafford Hospital to Stoke-on-Trent – doctors insist that they will be able to cope.  The Trust Special Administrators (TSA) also suggested on Wednesday that Stafford Hospital should become part of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS), after the Mid Staffordshire trust went into administration on the 16th of April. Recommended services for transfer include hip fracture treatment, births and child inpatient admission, with the further hope to dissolve Stafford’s Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust.  The centre currently has 230 midwives and sees…

Hospital A&E closure ‘deeply flawed’

Posted: 23 July 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

After Cheltenham’s accident and emergency unit suddenly closed last week, a Cotswold district councillor described the abrupt occurence as “deeply flawed”.  As of August, all out-of-hours emergency cases are to go the Gloucestershire Royal – Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (GCCG) confirmed.  While a GCCG spokesperson believes that this will allow “more robust” medical cover, Lib Dem councillor Paul Hodgkinson is angry at the absolute lack of consultation. Mr Hodgkinson said: “As a Cotswold councillor I only got to hear about this in the last couple of months.” He continued: “I’m…

Hospital inspections blamed for not being thorough enough

Posted: 19 July 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

After eleven trusts were put under special measures following the unveiling of their unidentified failings, it has been declared that better inspections must be carried out in England’s hospitals. The new chief inspector believes that the way in which hospitals are currently inspected is far too loose, and therefore, flawed. Prof Sir Mike Richards believes that the current procedures – used by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – are far too narrow in focus and require an increased involvement from medical staff and the public.  He aims to recruit doctors,…

NHS England must be made simpler

Posted: 17 June 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

After one NHS leader described the NHS’s A&E care as being on “cliff-edge”, a review of the services has been sparked in an attempt to improve the overall efficiency of the system – providing simpler and better 24/7 care.  With all of the NHS’ services being in high demand – due to factors such as the ageing population, new treatments and an increase in long-term illnesses – many members of the public feel misdirected when seeking medical treatment.  The review that Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, carried out…

Surgery proven more risky near end of the week

Posted: 3 June 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A recent investigation has revealed a worrying relationship between the success of surgery, and the day of the week on which it is carried out.  Researchers have taken all forms of surgery into account – from knee operations to transplants – and have revealed that a patient is more likely to die if they undergo surgery at the end of the week.  One specific paper, by the Imperial College London, has unveiled a particularly astonishing figure – suggesting that patients who receive surgery on a Friday are 44% more likely…

Investigation into resident’s death at care home

Posted: 3 April 2013

Posted in: Hip Injuries, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The former owners of a Buckinghamshire care home have been sentenced for serious safety failings after a frail 76-year-old woman died following a fall from a hoist.  Aylesbury Crown Court was told that Mrs Barbara Kilty, who had been resident at the home for more than three years, slipped from her wheelchair after she was transferred from her bed using a hoist. She broke her hip as a result of the fall but the incident was not reported within the care home. Ten days after the incident, Mrs Kilty was…

Reducing occupational exposures to bloodborne viruses

Posted: 15 January 2013

Posted in: Industrial Deafness and Disease, Medical Negligence, Workplace Injuries

There were 541 reports of needle stick injuries that exposed healthcare workers to patients carrying bloodborne viruses in 2011, twice as many as a decade ago (2002) when 271 exposures were reported. The figures come from the Health Protection Agency’s fourth Eye of the Needle report, which includes occupational exposures to bloodborne viruses in healthcare workers reported by hospitals through the HPA’s enhanced surveillance system. These reports are only a fraction of needle stick injuries that would have occurred. Since the previous report, which presented data until the end of…

Family awarded compensation for son’s death

Posted: 22 November 2012

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A family has been awarded compensation following the death of their son after two doctors failed to identify that he had contracted meningitis, reports the Telegraph. Thirteen-month-old Bobby Bushell’s parents had taken him to Doncaster Royal Infirmary on the advice of their GP. While he was there, he was seen by a senior house doctor and then a registrar, both of whom failed to diagnose the condition, despite the baby having developed the classic rash associated with meningitis. He was eventually seen by a consultant, who recommended that Bobby be…

Call for greater protection from ‘sharps’ injuries

Posted: 13 November 2012

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Workplace Injuries

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has issued a call for greater protection for people who work with sharp medical instruments. Responding to a consultation by the Health and Safety Executive, IOSH warned the regulator against excluding non-medical workers from so-called ‘sharps’ regulations, now under review. Injuries to workers from needles, scalpel blades and other sharp instruments – collectively known as medical sharps – have to be prevented, says IOSH. They can lead to exposure to blood-borne viruses and serious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, from…

More transparency to drive up NHS safety

Posted: 7 November 2012

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has published new data showing the number of NHS “never events” reported over the last two years and highlighted fresh action to improve care and reduce medical negligence. Never events are serious patient safety incidents that, by definition, should never happen. Never events include events such as surgery on the wrong part of the body, or surgical instruments being left in the body after an operation. The data shows that over 300 never events were reported to Strategic Health Authorities over the past year. It is…

Report into NHS maternity care claims

Posted: 1 November 2012

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

Having a baby while in the care of the NHS is very safe, according to a recently published report. However, more training, development and support for clinical staff could help to protect mothers and their babies from accidental injury. The report published by the NHS Litigation Authority, which manages legal claims made against the NHS in England, examined ten years of claims arising from NHS maternity care. While 5.5 million babies were born in England during the decade from 1st April 2000 to 31st March 2010, these resulted in 5,087…

Medical Negligence Compensation

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Whilst in this country we generally have a high standard of medical care, mistakes do happen. Medical negligence, AKA clinical negligence, is any breach in the standard of care given to a patient by their doctor, dentist, nurse, or other medical professional that results in the injury of a patient. What Counts As Medical Negligence? As you can imagine, medical negligence can take place in a number of ways, including: Injuries to mother or child during childbirth Dental injuries Misdiagnoses Surgical errors Incorrect or inappropriate medical treatment Medical negligence injuries…