September 18th, 2009
A group of women in Lancashire are said to be considering legal action after errors by a doctor led to them mistakenly being given the all-clear for breast cancer.
One radiologist at Accrington Victoria Hospital failed to spot a number of tumours and staff became concerned about previous test results.
They recalled 85 patients from the past three years and discovered that 14 had invasive breast cancer.
It is not clear if the blunders will affect the womens’ chances of survival, but they are all now undergoing treatment.
East Lancashire NHS Trust representative Rineke Schram commented: "I would like to apologise for any distress and anxiety caused."
The 14 woman affected are considering making compensation claims, the Daily Mail attests.
Anyone who has endured pain and suffering as the result of a cancer misdiagnosis may be entitled to claim compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims.
Tags: Accrington, Blunder, Blunders, Breast Cancer, Clinical Negligence Claims, Compensation Claims, Daily Mail, East Lancashire, Group Of Women, Invasive Breast Cancer, Misdiagnosis, Nhs Trust, Pain And Suffering, Radiologist, Schram, Solicitor Specialising, Test Results, Tumours, Undergoing Treatment, Victoria Hospital
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August 19th, 2009
The rate of clinical errors in Cumbria’s two hospitals is among the highest in the country, it has been revealed.
Statistics released this week have shown that £5.3 million was paid out to the victims of clinical negligence by North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in 2008-09, the News and Star reports.
One woman who said she is not surprised by the news is Charlene Steel, whose baby suffered a brain injury because of errors at his birth at Cumberland Infirmary. She said she would travel elsewhere if she needed to use hospital services again.
This comes after figures for the UK as a whole showed that clinical negligence payouts reached £807 million last year, up by 22 per cent on the figure from 2007-08.
There were 8,885 claims brought against NHS trusts for medical blunders, it was found.
Anyone affected by errors during their hospital treatment should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims.
Tags: Acute Hospitals Nhs Trust, Blunder, Brain Injury, Charlene, Clinical Negligence Claims, Cumberland, Cumberland Infirmary, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Hospitals Uk, Medical Blunders, Nhs Trusts, North Cumbria Acute Hospitals, Solicitor Specialising, Star Reports, Statistics
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July 10th, 2009
A man whose serious leg injury was not spotted by hospital staff has been awarded a significant compensation payout.
Bret Ravenhill, 29, had been riding his motorbike in July 2002 when he was involved in an accident, the Sheffield Star reports.
He was taken to Barnsley District General Hospital where he was treated for elbow and facial injuries, but his left leg was simply put into a plaster cast.
When he was transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, the severity of his leg injury was noticed and a surgeon examined it, but it was too late for treatment.
Mr Ravenhill had to have his leg amputated below the knee.
"The one place I didn’t expect trouble was in hospital. It’s been difficult to come to terms with losing my leg," he commented.
Barnsley Hospital admitted negligence and has awarded an undisclosed but "significant" payout to the victim.
Figures from the Department for Transport show that although motorcyclists account for only one per cent of traffic in the UK, they make up 20 per cent of those killed or seriously injured in accidents.
Tags: Accidents, Barnsley District General, Barnsley District General Hospital, Blunder, Crash, District General Hospital, Elbow, Facial Injuries, Hospital Negligence, Hospital Staff, Left Leg, Leg Injury, Motorbike, Plaster Cast, Ravenhill, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Severity, Sheffield Star, Star Reports, Traffic
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July 6th, 2009
A young mother is seeking compensation from Tesco after her baby was put at risk of liver and kidney failure due to staff errors.
Kirsty Hensby, 22, picked up a prescription for her baby daughter Summer at Tesco after she developed a rash on her face, the Daily Mail reports.
However, the locum pharmacist labelled the bottle with a dose of 5ml three times a day instead of 3ml.
As a result, Summer was given medicine for four days that would have been more suitable for a six-year-old, putting her at risk of liver and kidney damage.
The error was only noticed after Ms Hensby went to collect a repeat prescription.
Tesco blamed the error on a locum pharmacist and said it is investigating the matter fully, as well as having sacked the offending member of staff.
Ms Hensby said the compensation offered to her by the supermarket, £600, is not enough.
"It was as though I was complaining about a can of baked beans being past their sell-by date, rather than the health of my daughter," she commented.
Tesco provides a range of pharmacy services, including repeat dispensing, repeat collection and diabetes screening.
Tags: 3ml, Baby Daughter, Baked Beans, Blunder, Daily Mail, Diabetes, Diabetes Screening, Kidney Damage, Kidney Failure, Liver, Locum Pharmacist, Medicine, Pharmacy Services, Rash On, Repeat Prescription, Supermarket, Tesco, Three Times, Young Mother
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June 16th, 2009
A couple from Wales have been paid compensation after a devastating blunder at an IVF facility led to them losing a second chance to become parents.
The pair, named only as Debra and Paul, were hoping to try for a second child through IVF using their last surviving embryo in December 2007.
However, due to mistakes which were blamed on staff being overworked, the embryo was implanted into the wrong woman.
When the mistake was realised, the other woman agreed to a termination, but Debra said she was devastated that her last embryo made up of her own biological material had been destroyed.
Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust apologised unreservedly for the mistake and has agreed to a compensation payout of approximately £25,000 after admitting to gross failures in care.
Debra and Paul have said they may use the compensation to pay for further IVF treatment using donated eggs.
According to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, one in seven UK couples have difficulty conceiving and infertility is the most likely reason for a visit to the doctor after pregnancy.
Tags: Biological Material, Blunder, Cardiff And Vale Nhs Trust, Eggs, Embryo, Gross, Infertility, Ivf Treatment, Led, Mistake, National Institute For Clinical Excellence, Parents, Pregnancy, Reason, Second Chance, Uk Couples, Vale Nhs Trust, Wales, Wrong Woman
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