September 11th, 2009
A woman from Essex is to receive compensation after a hospital failed to deal with a condition which led to her baby being stillborn.
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Harlow is to pay Louisa Greenslade a five-figure sum after admitting medical negligence, reports the Harrow Herald.
The admission came after routine tests carried out in March 2005 during Ms Greenslade’s pregnancy detected unusual levels of glucose and protein.
Although the results may have been indicative of gestational diabetes, staff at the hospital did not act on them.
Ms Greenslade’s daughter Rowen was stillborn in June 2005.
In 2006, she gave birth to a healthy son, Flynn. During that pregnancy she received treatment for gestational diabetes at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
A spokesman from Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust said it had now put in place measures to minimise the risk of a similar medical negligence case occurring in its maternity unit.
News of the settlement came as the Safer Births network was launched to help improve safety standards in England’s maternity departments.
Tags: Addenbrooke S Hospital, Births, Essex, Figure Sum, Gestational Diabetes, Glucose, Harlow, Harrow, Hospital Negligence, Hospital Nhs Trust, Maternity Unit, Medical Negligence Case, Place Measures, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Routine Tests, Rowen, Safety Standards, Spokesman, Stillborn, Unit News
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July 10th, 2009
A man whose serious leg injury was not spotted by hospital staff has been awarded a significant compensation payout.
Bret Ravenhill, 29, had been riding his motorbike in July 2002 when he was involved in an accident, the Sheffield Star reports.
He was taken to Barnsley District General Hospital where he was treated for elbow and facial injuries, but his left leg was simply put into a plaster cast.
When he was transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, the severity of his leg injury was noticed and a surgeon examined it, but it was too late for treatment.
Mr Ravenhill had to have his leg amputated below the knee.
"The one place I didn’t expect trouble was in hospital. It’s been difficult to come to terms with losing my leg," he commented.
Barnsley Hospital admitted negligence and has awarded an undisclosed but "significant" payout to the victim.
Figures from the Department for Transport show that although motorcyclists account for only one per cent of traffic in the UK, they make up 20 per cent of those killed or seriously injured in accidents.
Tags: Accidents, Barnsley District General, Barnsley District General Hospital, Blunder, Crash, District General Hospital, Elbow, Facial Injuries, Hospital Negligence, Hospital Staff, Left Leg, Leg Injury, Motorbike, Plaster Cast, Ravenhill, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Severity, Sheffield Star, Star Reports, Traffic
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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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March 18th, 2009
Three NHS patients every month are now receiving compensation of more than £1 million each because of failures in their care in hospital.
According to the Telegraph, almost 500 people have been seriously disabled by the lack of care they have received in hospital since the Clinical Negligence Scheme for NHS Trusts was established 13 years ago.
Groups representing patients have blamed "negligence, incompetence or carelessness" within the NHS for the increase in people being forced to make a claim to pay for their long-term care.
The biggest sum of compensation according to official records was £12.4 million, which was paid to Kerstin Parkin.
She was left brain damaged following errors made by staff during the birth of her baby and could not be resuscitated because the crash team did not have the security code for the emergency room door.
In order for a clinical negligence claim to be successful, a solicitor must establish that the surgeon breached a duty of care agreement between him or her and the patient.
Anyone who is unsure about a particular incident should seek legal advice.
Tags: 1 Million, 13 Years, Brain, Carelessness, Clinical Negligence, Crash Team, Duty Of Care, Emergency Room, Groups, Hospital Negligence, Incompetence, Legal Advice, Long Term Care, Negligence Claim, Nhs Patients, Nhs Trusts, Security Code, Solicitor, Telegraph
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March 12th, 2009
The parents of a baby who died less than half an hour after his birth are taking legal action against the hospital they hold responsible.
Adam Djebili died after he was delivered with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, the Evening Standard reports.
His parents Noura and Brahim Djebili claim that staff at Kingston Hospital failed to notice that the child was in difficulties and that they ignored requests for an emergency Caesarean, relying instead on forceps.
Mr Djebili, 43, said that if it had not been for the hospital’s negligence, the baby would not have died.
"I don’t care about compensation, but I want the nation to know my baby was delivered carelessly and they killed him," he added.
A spokesperson for Kingston Hospital NHS Trust expressed sympathy to the family, but said it was unable to comment on the allegations.
In December, Clare and Tim Russell were awarded compensation from the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in an out-of-court settlement after their baby died shortly after birth.
Tags: Allegations, Baby Parents, Court Settlement, Half An Hour, Hospital Negligence, Hospital Nhs Trust, Kingston Hospital Nhs Trust, Noura, Shrewsbury, Spokesperson, Sympathy, Tim Russell, Umbilical Cord
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