September 7th, 2009
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."
Tags: 1 Billion, Administration Of Drugs, Damages, Deaths, Health, Lead, Liberal Democrats, Medication, Medication Mistakes, National Patient Safety, National Patient Safety Agency, Nhs, Norman Lamb, Npsa, Patient Care, Patient Safety Agency, Spokesman, Statistics
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
September 2nd, 2009
A number of diners are continuing to fight for compensation after they got food poisoning from a restaurant in Ilkley.
According to the Ilkley Gazette, as many as 60 people came down with the gastro-intestinal bug giardia lamblia after eating at the Saffron in 2007.
The owners were sentenced to community service in court this week for failing to run the restaurant in a safe manner and they have been banned from working with food for life.
However, the affected diners – who suffered from diarrhoea and weight loss – sought legal advice in order to get compensation for their suffering.
They are pursuing claims through the Saffron’s insurers, since the restaurant has now closed down.
Recorder Carl Gumsley said the eatery had been run in a "criminally inept" way and that it was "an accident waiting to happen".
Giardia lamblia is a single-celled organism that first came to light in the UK among those returning from abroad. It can be passed on in a number of ways, most commonly through contaminated water filters, BBC Health attests.
Tags: Bbc, Contaminated Water, Diarrhoea, Diners, Food Poisoning, Giardia Lamblia, Health, Ilkley Gazette, Legal Advice, Quot, Saffron, Single Celled Organism, Suffering, Water Filters, Weight Loss
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
April 29th, 2009
The parents of a teenager who died in hospital after being given drugs that were later described as inappropriate have been awarded damages by an NHS trust.
Alexander Newton, 18, had Duchenne muscular dystrophy and was being treated at the Royal United Hospital in Bath in 2005.
However, he was given the strong painkiller cocodamol and the sleeping drug Zopiclone and went on to suffer hallucinations and three respiratory arrests.
Alexander died after 16 days in hospital.
His parents Barrie Newton, 60, and Pamela, 58, took legal action against the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust for clinical negligence after a coroner ruled that the drugs "took their toll" on their son’s health, although they did not kill him directly.
Although the NHS trust did not admit liability, it has agreed to a "considered sum of money" to compensate for the distress caused to Alexander before his death.
Zopiclone is a hypnotic sleeping drug and a side effect listed by RDS Alert is palpitations in some patients.
Tags: Alexander, Barrie, Clinical Negligence, Cocodamol, Coroner, Damages, Drugs, Hallucinations, Health, Muscular Dystrophy, Newton 18, Nhs Trust, Painkiller, Pamela, Parents, Royal Trust, Royal United Hospital, Sum Of Money, Teenager, Zopiclone
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
January 12th, 2009
Up to 1,000 miners are to take their claims for compensation to the high court in a bid to secure a payout for the injuries and conditions they now suffer.
The miners, who worked on the surface and are as such not eligible for compensation under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme, nevertheless suffer from knee problems and chronic lung disease from inhaling dust, the Guardian reports.
The government has contested the claims in court in Leeds, but the miners hope a hearing in London will rule in their favour.
John Mann, MP for Bassetlaw, said: "[The government] should create a simple non-legalistic scheme that would compensate miners with a modest amount of money for things like the breathing equipment they need."
According to number10.gov.uk, the government was paying out £2 million a day in compensation to miners affected by underground work in 2005.
They were required to take a simple breathing test to measure the loss of lung function and were entitled to payments of up to £12,900.
Tags: Amount Of Money, Bassetlaw, Breathing Test, Chronic Lung Disease, Coal, Compensation Claim, Compensation Scheme, Favour, Gov Uk, Guardian, Health, John Mann, Knee Problems, Leeds, Lung Function, Mp, Number10, Surface Miners, Underground Work
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
November 28th, 2008
Bowthorpe 53-year-old Ivor Woods has vowed to seek compensation for his father’s death from mesothelioma, the Norwich Evening News has reported.
Leslie Woods was exposed to asbestos during his career as a carpenter, which resulted in the malignant lung condition that took his life at the age of 87 in September last year.
However, his son is not sure precisely where or when the exposure took place and is asking for information that could help him identify the location.
He believes his father may have come into contact with asbestos at a number of hospitals in London during the 1970s when he was employed by Anglian Widows.
A spokesman for Anglian Home Improvements said the company could not comment on the case before it gains specific details of how, when and where Mr Woods worked for them.
Giving insight into why he is seeking compensation, Mr Woods said: "I never want to see anyone be so afraid through struggling to breath and be so scared as he was in his final hours."
The Health & Safety Executive recently launched a campaign designed to raise awareness that asbestos is still a danger to workers, particularly those in the construction industry.
Tags: 1970s, Amp, Anglian Home Improvements, Asbestos, Career, Carpenter, Compensation Claim, Construction Industry, Health, Hospitals In London, Insight, Leslie Woods, Lung Condition, Mesothelioma, Norwich, Safety Executive, Spokesman, Widows
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
