October 28th, 2009
The parents of a girl who was left paralysed after having an operation on her back are suing the hospital where she was treated.
Laura May, now 15, had begun to develop a curvature of the spine when she was 11, the Lancashire Evening Post reports.
The girl’s parents agreed that surgery was necessary and Laura was admitted to Royal Preston Hospital in February 2005.
However, surgeon Roger Battersby Smith got too close to the spinal cord during the procedure and now Laura is unable to move from the chest down.
Christine and William May have taken legal action against Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, alleging that the surgeon did not adequately monitor the distance between his tools and the girl’s spine and was therefore negligent.
The hospital claims it took "reasonable care" to ensure Laura was safe.
Earlier in 2009, the Telegraph reported that three NHS patients every month are now receiving compensation of over £1 million each because of failures in their care in hospital.
Tags: 1 Million, Battersby, Curvature Of The Spine, February 2005, Foundation Trust, Lancashire Evening Post, Nhs Patients, Parents, Reasonable Care, Spinal Cord, Teaching Hospitals, Telegraph
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October 26th, 2009
A 14-year-old boy has been awarded compensation for clinical negligence after a hospital admitted that its failings caused his cerebral palsy.
The unnamed victim was born prematurely at Billinge Hospital, but staff failed to properly administer ventilation, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He is now wheelchair-bound and will need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
The child’s parents took legal action against Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust and – after an 11-year legal battle – have now been awarded compensation that will allow them to specially adapt their home for their disabled son.
"The trust very much hopes that the compensation monies will provide life-long security and enable the individual to fulfil their potential," a spokesperson for the hospital said.
According to figures published by Scope, approximately one in 400 babies in the UK is born with cerebral palsy every year. This may be caused by a blocked blood vessel, complications in labour, extreme prematurity or illness just after birth.
Tags: 5 Million, Babies, Blood Vessel, Cerebral Palsy, Clinical Negligence, Clock Care, Extreme Prematurity, Foundation Trust, Labour, Manchester Evening News, Monies, News Reports, Nhs, Parents, Scope, Spokesperson, Ventilation, Wheelchair, Wigan
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September 21st, 2009
A man died from a brain haemorrhage after being sent home from hospital three times, an inquest has heard.
Stuart Foley, 30 began to suffer severe headaches on December 13th 2007 and went to the casualty department at Wythenshawe Hospital, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He was sent home with paracetamol after being told his symptoms were due to a migraine. However, he continued to suffer stabbing pains in his head and returned nine days later, only to be told the same thing.
Mr Foley went back to casualty after collapsing on December 27th, but was still not given a brain scan. He finally collapsed again on January 8th and was found to be suffering from massive brain injuries caused by an aneurysm. The victim died two days later.
Nicholas Todd, a consultant neurosurgeon, told the inquest that had Mr Foley received a brain scan, it is likely that he could have been saved.
A spokesperson for University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust commented: "We sincerely regret that there were missed opportunities to diagnose and treat Mr Foley."
It is not yet clear if the victim’s family is to take legal action against the hospital.
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that a group of women in Lancashire are considering compensation claims after they were wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer.
Tags: Aneurysm, Brain Haemorrhage, Brain Injuries, Breast Cancer, Casualty Department, Compensation Claims, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Daily Mail, Foley, Foundation Trust, Group Of Women, Inquest, Manchester Evening News, Massive Brain, Nhs Trust, Nine Days, Paracetamol, Severe Headaches, South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital
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August 27th, 2009
An NHS trust has awarded compensation to a family whose baby died after its mother was sent to a hospital 12 miles away from the one she had been advised to use.
Andrea Harrison, 35, contacted her midwife in May 2004 and was told that the baby’s heartbeat was too high, the Northern Echo reports.
She was sent to Bishop Auckland Hospital, but upon arrival, found out that it did not have emergency facilities to deal with Caesarean sections.
The patient was redirected to Darlington Memorial Hospital in the family car since no ambulance was available, but once baby Olivia was delivered there, she had died.
Ms Harrison took legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, claiming that she should never have been sent to the first hospital and that staff had been negligent in their treatment.
The trust has now admitted liability and agreed to an undisclosed sum in compensation.
Birth injuries and problems with delivery often point to failures in properly assessing the condition of the mother. Anyone who suffers as a result of such clinical negligence may be able to make a compensation claim and should contact a solicitor.
Tags: Ambulance, Andrea Harrison, Baby Heartbeat, Baby S Heartbeat, Birth Injuries, Bishop Auckland Hospital, Caesarean Sections, Clinical Negligence, Compensation Claim, County Durham, Darlington Memorial Hospital, Emergency Facilities, Foundation Trust, Midwife, Nhs Trust, Northern Echo, Olivia, Solicitor, Trust Awards, Undisclosed Sum
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July 2nd, 2009
A hospital has apologised to a family and agreed to pay compensation following an incident in which a man died.
Gary Rayner, 46, went into Sunderland Royal Hospital on June 26th 2007 for a routine operation on his lymph nodes after previously beating cancer, the Sunderland Echo reports.
However, on June 30th, Mr Rayner began sweating profusely and then went into cardiac arrest.
Although a crash team was called, they could not resuscitate him and he died at 23:00 BST.
A subsequent investigation revealed that staff failed to provide anti-clotting drugs until June 28th, by which time it was too late for the patient.
Les Boobis, medical director and consultant surgeon of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, gave evidence to support this and it was ruled that Mr Rayner’s family should receive compensation.
A spokesperson for the hospital said a compensation settlement had been agreed with the family of the deceased.
Clinical negligence occurs when a professional in the health service provides care that is deemed to be below standard and this causes physical injury, death or distress.
Tags: Cancer, Cardiac Arrest, City Hospitals, Clinical Negligence, Consultant Surgeon, Crash Team, Drugs, Foundation Trust, Health Service, Hospital Negligence, Injury Death, Lymph Nodes, Medical Director, Rayner, Routine Operation, Spokesperson, Subsequent Investigation, Sunderland Echo
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