Recently at Pryers we recovered substantial damages for the family of a patient who died after hospital staff failed to diagnose deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Sadly, some of the family witnessed the immediate aftermath of the death and were awarded damages for the psychiatric reaction to these events.
Sadly this clinical negligence case highlights the fact that it’s estimated there could be between 1000 and 2000 deaths in the UK each year, so correct diagnosis is essential.
A damning report has been published which blames the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the deaths of 14 servicemen in 2006.
The men were in a Nimrod spy plane over Afghanistan when a fuel leak came into contact with super-heated air ducts. It exploded in mid-air, killing all the men instantly.
Yesterday, review chairman Charles Haddon-Cave QC blamed the MoD for cost-cutting and BAE Systems and QinetiQ for failing to rectify design problems which led to the crash.
This could pave the way for the relatives of those involved to claim substantial sums in compensation.
Joe Windall, the father of Marine Joseph Windall who died that day, said he was "shocked and severely disappointed" by the failings in care which put his son and his peers at risk.
The report was authorised after the MoD admitted in March that there were significant failings in the protection of the servicemen – including inadequate fire protection – aboard the Nimrod.
New research has suggested that there may be an increase in deaths in hospitals when newly qualified doctors begin practicing on wards each August.
Imperial College London analysed data going back nine years and found that there was a six per cent increase in mortality in the first week of August when compared with the last week in July.
Heart attacks and strokes were found to be the conditions most likely to rise.
Dr Paul Aylin, who managed the research, said the figures suggest that the reshuffling caused by new doctors coming in could be leading to lapses in care.
However, Patricia Hamilton, director of medical education at the Department of Health, denied that this is a factor behind the increase and pointed out that junior doctors are closely monitored, often on a one to one ratio.
This comes after research from the same college earlier this month suggested that 15 per cent of all NHS patients are being misdiagnosed. 
Mistakes by NHS staff in prescribing and administering drugs cause moderate or severe harm to more than 220 patients every month, according to a new report.
Figures compiled by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) show that there were 86,085 reported medication mistakes during 2007, although it is believed only around ten per cent of incidents were recorded.
The vast majority of the mistakes resulted in little or no harm to patients. However, 37 patients died as a result of medication incidents, 63 suffered severe harm and 2,710 errors caused moderate harm.
NPSA statistics showed that 41 per cent of the most serious incidents were caused by mistakes in the administration of drugs, while 32 per cent resulted from prescribing mistakes.
Responding to the NPSA’s report, Norman Lamb, health spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, called on NHS officials to ensure systems to protect patient safety are in place.
He added: "Settling claims for damages costs the NHS nearly £1 billion per year, which could be spent on patient care."
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has urged the construction industry to take more precautions to avoid falls from height in the workplace.
This comes after an accident in which a 31-year-old man died when he fell from scaffolding in Hastings earlier in August.
Melvyn Stancliffe, HSE inspector for the case, commented that workers must be properly trained and provided with equipment to ensure they are not at risk if working at height is unavoidable.
"It is simple – work to the recognised industry standards and working practices and falls can be prevented," he added.
Additional figures from the HSE reveal that falls are the biggest cause of fatal injury in British workplaces, with 34 out of the 72 deaths in the construction industry in 2007-08 resulting from a fall from height.
In addition, there were another 4,000 major but non-fatal injuries – such as broken bones – in the construction sector during the same timespan. 
