June 30th, 2009
An autistic child who alleges that he was locked in a toilet by his carer has secured compensation.
Alex Berry, now 15, was left in the care of Siobhan Quinn in May 2005 as usual. She looked after the youngster in her own home in Dublin.
However, it is claimed that on this occasion, she left the house and secured 11-year-old Alex in a downstairs toilet while she was away.
Alex suffers from severe autism and cannot be left alone. His father Peter alleges that he arrived at Ms Quinn’s house to find her unlocking the toilet and letting Alex – who was in a distressed state – out.
With the assistance of his family, Alex took legal action against Ms Quinn, as well as Northside Home Care Services (her employer) and the Health Service Executive.
Mr Justice John Quirke ruled Ms Quinn’s behaviour to be "scandalous" and "dreadful".
Although the parties being sued did not admit liability for their negligence, it was agreed that Alex should receive a payout of £42,300 to cover the pain and suffering he was caused.
According to the National Autistic Society, over half a million people in the UK have autism, a figure which equates to around one in 100 people.
Tags: 11 Year Old, Alex, Autism, Autistic Child, Carer, Distressed State, Downstairs Toilet, Dublin, Half A Million, Health Service, Mr Justice, National Autistic Society, Negligence, Pain And Suffering, Quirke, Service Executive, Siobhan, Wins, Youngster
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June 12th, 2009
A mother whose son suffered complications after he was circumcised at a private clinic is planning to take legal action against the GP responsible for the operation.
This Is Staffordshire reported that Faiqa Akram and her husband Nadeem are getting ready to lodge a claim for potential clinical negligence against Manchester-based doctor Munir Butt.
Ms Akram paid £80 for her three-month old son, Naveed, to be circumcised at Dr Butt’s private clinic, as she could not have the treatment on the NHS.
But she described the clinic as a "circumcision factory" and said the family "could not believe" what they saw inside.
"There were 12 other babies waiting to be seen. When it was Naveed’s turn, we had to leave him on a wooden table with just a changing mat," she said.
When Ms Akram later brought the baby to a doctor, he was then referred to a surgeon at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, where he needed to undergo a full operation under general anaesthetic. It is thought he could require further surgery to repair the damage.
A total of four boys have needed hospital treatment at the facility after complications arising from private circumcisions.
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust serves around half a million people in the Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyne.
Tags: Akram, Babies, Butt, Circumcision, Circumcisions, Clinical Negligence, General Anaesthetic, Gp, Half A Million, Mother Son, Nadeem, Negligence Claim, Newcastle Under Lyne, Nhs Trust, North Staffordshire, Private Clinic
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September 18th, 2008
A widow has issued a high court writ against an NHS trust following the death of her husband.
Yolanda Arnold from Brighton launched the legal action against the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust – which claims to treat over half a million patients a year – following Albert Hodge’s death in 2005.
Mr Arnold, 38, had become ill with an eye inflammation in February 2004 and was treated; however, he contracted chickenpox in August 2005, the Argus reports.
He was admitted to and discharged from hospital, but continued to suffer pains in his chest and stomach and began to cough up blood.
Although he was later readmitted to hospital, Mr Arnold had developed blood clots and renal failure and died on August 28th.
Mrs Arnold claims that the hospital should have realised his immune system had been weakened by steroids prescribed for the eye inflammation and was therefore negligent in that it did not provide anti-viral drugs.
The high court writ is for compensation of up to £300,000, which Mrs Arnold claims should be paid by the trust because it previously admitted a breach of duty.
A spokesperson for the NHS declined to comment.
Tags: Anti Viral Drugs, Argus, Blood Clots, Breach Of Duty, Brighton, Chickenpox, Eye Inflammation, Half A Million, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Immune System, Mr Arnold, Renal Failure, Spokesperson, Steroids, Stomach, Sussex, Sussex University, University Hospitals Nhs Trust, Writ
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