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 2nd, 2009
A new system has been proposed in Scotland that would make compensation for clinical negligence easier to claim.
At present, patients injured as a result of medical treatment must prove responsibility or have the NHS trust involved admit to it, which can be a lengthy and complicated process.
However, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon is investigating whether a different system could be put in place that would allow patients to claim ‘no fault’ payouts.
This could lead to compensation for thousands of people who contracted superbugs such as MRSA in hospital.
The plans are to be proposed and discussed further in 2010.
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.
Anyone who has suffered as a result of this should seek a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence claims in order to increase their likelihood of receiving a payout.
Tags: Clinical Negligence Claims, Health Secretary, Health Service, Injury Death, Lead, Likelihood, Medical Treatment, Mrsa, Nhs Trust, Nicola Sturgeon, People, Scotland, Solicitor Specialising, Sturgeon
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May 22nd, 2009
The family of a man who died in hospital are to receive a payout of £12,000 after its NHS trust admitted negligence.
Alun Stanton, 71, was diagnosed with pneumonia after being admitted to East Glamorgan Hospital suffering from shortness of breath.
He underwent an operation to insert a chest drain, which the family was told is normally a routine procedure.
However, Mr Stanton died two days later. A subsequent inquest discovered that the drain had been placed too low in the victim’s body, rupturing his spleen and causing the massive internal bleeding that led to his death.
His family took legal action against Cwm Taf NHS Trust, which originally said that it was not at fault for the death.
In a new development, the trust has now accepted that its staff made a mistake and has agreed to a payout of £12,000.
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.
Anyone who has suffered as a result should seek the advice of a solicitor.
Tags: Alun, Clinical Negligence, Cwm, Death Victim, East Glamorgan Hospital, Glamorgan, Health Service, Injury Death, Inquest, Mistake, Nhs Trust, Pneumonia, Routine Procedure, Shortness Of Breath, Solicitor, Spleen, Stanton, Suffering From, Taf
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May 19th, 2009
A woman whose baby was stillborn has been awarded compensation after hospital staff admitted to failings in his care.
Arlien Middleton’s son Kenneth died in October 2003 at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and letters from doctors revealed that his heart had not been properly monitored, the Aberdeen Press and Journal reports.
Ms Middleton sought compensation from NHS Grampian, claiming that if she and the baby had been properly checked, she could have had an emergency Caesarean and Kenneth may have survived.
After a five-year battle, Ms Middleton was awarded £21,500 in compensation for the pain and suffering she was caused.
"It was never to do with the money. I didn’t care about the money. I just wanted an apology," she remarked.
NHS Grampian declined to comment on the individual case.
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.
Compensation may be claimed as a result, as was the case here.
Tags: Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, Aberdeen Press And Journal, Apology, Clinical Negligence, Doctors, Grampian, Health Service, Heart, Hospital Staff, Injury Death, Money, Nhs, Pain And Suffering, Woman
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May 8th, 2009
The family of a man who died after being given too much diamorphine are taking legal action against the NHS and the doctor who was responsible for his death.
David Gray, 70, died after being injected with ten times the recommended dose of the painkiller by Dr Daniel Ubani in February 2008.
Dr Ubani was on his first shift in the UK, working for the out of hours service Take Care Now. He is now under investigation by the Care Quality Commission and is facing a possible manslaughter charge.
Mr Gray’s family is pursuing civil legal action against Dr Ubani, NHS Cambridgeshire and Take Care Now, claiming that the medic did not have suitable training and that the victim would still be alive had he been treated by someone with British medical training or a student nurse.
NHS Cambridgeshire has insisted Mr Gray’s death was an isolated incident.
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.
Anyone affected should seek legal action as they may be eligible for compensation.
Tags: Cambridgeshire, Care Quality, Clinical Negligence, Damages, David Gray, Doctor Who, Dr Daniel, Family Man, Health Service, Injury Death, Manslaughter Charge, Medic, Medical Training, Mr Gray, Nhs, Painkiller, Quality Commission, Student Nurse
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