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
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
September 10th, 2009
Workers who suffer from Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) have been advised to seek legal advice about the possibility of making a compensation claim.
The condition, commonly known as vibration white finger, affects the blood vessels, nerves and muscles in the hands and wrists, leading to numbness and loss of movement, and often causing the fingers to change colour.
It is often the result of working with vibrating tools such as drills and chain saws.
Writing for the Daily Mail, GP Martin Scurr explained that HAVS is a recognised industrial disease, so companies should have health and safety procedures, such as providing gloves and time limits on the use of vibrating machinery, in place.
He added that "negligence is unacceptable" and recommended that anyone who has developed work-related HAVS should look into making a compensation claim.
Last month, Anthony Barry, a former toolmaker from St Helens, received £8,500 in compensation after developing the condition as a result of working with vibrating tools while employed by Ford Motor Company.
Mr Barry said his former employer had not warned him about the dangers of working with such equipment.
Tags: Arm Vibration Syndrome, Blood Vessels, Chain Saws, Compensation Claim, Compensation Claims, Daily Mail, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Company, Hand Arm Vibration, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Procedures, Legal Advice, Negligence, Nerves, Numbness, Scurr, St Helens, Time Limits, Toolmaker, Vibration White Finger
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July 27th, 2009
A woman who claims she was left butchered after undergoing cosmetic surgery has been awarded compensation.
Beverly Binks, 43, went to a surgeon at Newcastle’s Transform Medical Group in March 2005 for an eye and jaw lift, the Daily Mail reports.
However, too much skin was removed from underneath her left eye and it could not connect properly with the eyeball.
The clinic offered her two more procedures to correct the damage done, but Ms Binks claims that they were just as bad.
She remarked: "The cosmetic surgery has ruined my life and has left me looking a complete mess. I have been suicidal and my 25-year marriage nearly ended because of how depressed I have become."
Ms Binks took legal action against Transform Medical Group and has now been awarded an undisclosed sum in compensation for her ordeal.
In order for a clinical negligence claim against a plastic surgeon to be successful, a solicitor must establish that he or she breached a duty of care agreement between him or her and the patient.
Since there were no formal qualification checks on cosmetic surgeons prior to April 2002, it may be easier to prove negligence in these cases than in other medical fields.
Tags: Binks, Checks, Clinical Negligence, Cosmetic Surgeons, Cosmetic Surgery, Daily Mail, Duty Of Care, Eyeball, Formal Qualification, Left Eye, Marriage, Medical Fields, Medical Group, Negligence Claim, Newcastle, Ordeal, Plastic Surgeon, Solicitor, Undisclosed Sum, Woman
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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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July 3rd, 2009
A man who fell onto a disused railway line while trying to get to an illegal rave is seeking compensation from the landowners.
Andrew Henley, 26, had been told about the party while out in Henley and had tried to make his way to the site in Keele on foot in October 2006, Staffordshire paper the Sentinel reports.
However, the pathway was not clearly marked and Mr Henley fell through a hedge.
He suffered a fractured skull, fractured ribs, a broken tibia and permanent damage to his elbows, which has meant that he is unable to lift things and move his arms very well.
Mr Henley said he has struggled to find work since being made redundant and believes that had the land been properly padlocked, the accident would never had happened.
"I feel like I lost everything and I had to start all over again," he commented.
He is now seeking information from anyone else who was there in a bid to claim compensation.
In May 2008, the Daily Mail reported that Kent Police had refused to break up an illegal rave because it was situated on dangerous ground and it was too dark to enter.
Tags: Bid, Daily Mail, Dangerous Ground, Disused Railway, Elbows, Fractured Ribs, Fractured Skull, Henley, Keele, Kent Police, Landowners, Pathway, Permanent Damage, Railway Line, Rave, Sentinel, Staffordshire, Tibia
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