April 29th, 2009
The parents of a teenager who died in hospital after being given drugs that were later described as inappropriate have been awarded damages by an NHS trust.
Alexander Newton, 18, had Duchenne muscular dystrophy and was being treated at the Royal United Hospital in Bath in 2005.
However, he was given the strong painkiller cocodamol and the sleeping drug Zopiclone and went on to suffer hallucinations and three respiratory arrests.
Alexander died after 16 days in hospital.
His parents Barrie Newton, 60, and Pamela, 58, took legal action against the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust for clinical negligence after a coroner ruled that the drugs "took their toll" on their son’s health, although they did not kill him directly.
Although the NHS trust did not admit liability, it has agreed to a "considered sum of money" to compensate for the distress caused to Alexander before his death.
Zopiclone is a hypnotic sleeping drug and a side effect listed by RDS Alert is palpitations in some patients.
Tags: Alexander, Barrie, Clinical Negligence, Cocodamol, Coroner, Damages, Drugs, Hallucinations, Health, Muscular Dystrophy, Newton 18, Nhs Trust, Painkiller, Pamela, Parents, Royal Trust, Royal United Hospital, Sum Of Money, Teenager, Zopiclone
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January 30th, 2009
A 14-year-old boy has been awarded a compensation payout after being left paralysed by untreated tubercular meningitis.
Jason Goby fell ill with severe headaches in January 2000 and was taken to hospital. However, his condition was not diagnosed until a month later.
The child was left permanently disabled and his father launched legal action against his GP, Dr Barrie Ferguson, claiming negligence, His legal team argued that had Jason been treated straight away, he would most likely have made a full recovery.
Although Dr Ferguson denied liability, a judge at the high court this week ruled that she was negligent on this occasion and ordered her to pay Jason compensation.
The exact sum has not yet been decided, but it is expected to be a substantial payout given the severity of his injuries.
Tubercular meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord that is caused by the same bacteria as tuberculosis.
Tags: Bacteria, Barrie, Brain, Ferguson, Goby, Gp, Negligence, Paralysed, Severe Headaches, Severity, Spinal Cord, Tubercular Meningitis, Tuberculosis, Wins
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