July 14th, 2009
A woman whose bowel was accidentally stitched up when she went into hospital to have a routine hysterectomy is seeking compensation from the hospital she holds responsible.
Lynn Main, 55, was admitted to Horton General Hospital in Oxfordshire on May 7th for a three-day stay.
However, during surgery, a doctor mistakenly stitched up her bowel.
Ms Main was left in agony, but was told by hospital staff that she was simply constipated and should eat more.
On May 22nd, her bowel burst and she developed peritonitis. Doctors had to repair the internal injuries with staples in an emergency operation and drained the contents of her bowel manually.
Ms Main and her partner Alan Scott are now suing those responsible for Horton General Hospital for clinical negligence.
"Alan and me both knew that something was seriously wrong but none of the doctors or nurses would listen," she pointed out.
A spokesperson for the hospital said the case is under investigation.
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: Agony, Burst, Clinical Negligence Claims, Doctors, Emergency Operation, General Hospital, Grandmother, Health Service, Hospital Staff, Hysterectomy, Injury Death, Internal Injuries, Likelihood, Nurses, Oxfordshire, Solicitor Specialising, Spokesperson, Staples, Woman
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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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June 26th, 2009
A mental patient who tried to commit suicide by throwing himself under a train is to receive £400,000 in compensation.
Noel Dawson, 48, had admitted himself to Waterlow Psychiatric unit on Highgate Hill for his own protection in January 2004.
However, he went ‘absent without leave’ on January 13th and threw himself under a Highgate station tube nine days later.
Mr Davison suffered head injuries and a broken pelvis, but survived the attempt on his life.
He sought compensation from Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, claiming that hospital staff had failed to assess his mental state and had failed to protect him from himself by providing a secure unit.
Although the trust refused to admit liability, at a high court hearing this week, it agreed to a compensation payout as an out-of-court settlement.
Marjorie Wallace, founder of the mental health charity Sane, commented: "We hope this will make psychiatric units much more careful in protecting the lives of their patients."
Earlier this month, Get Reading reported that the parents of a man who hung himself after escaping from a supposedly secure medical facility are to seek compensation for their loss.
Tags: Absent Without Leave, Broken Pelvis, Court Settlement, Dawson, Foundation Trust, Head Injuries, Highgate Station, Hospital Staff, Islington, January 13th, Marjorie Wallace, Medical Facility, Mental Health Charity, Mental Patient, Nhs, Nine Days, Psychiatric Unit, Psychiatric Units, Suicide Bid
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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 11th, 2009
A child who was left with cerebral palsy after hospital staff failed to deliver her quickly enough has been awarded millions of pounds in compensation.
Elise Frith, now six, was born at Milton Keynes Hospital, but although her mother Yelena had been suffering from abdominal pains, an emergency Caesarean was not performed until more than two hours after a problem was detected.
The child was deprived of oxygen and now has mobility and communication problems as a result of her cerebral palsy, Milton Keynes Today reports.
Milton Keynes Hospital admitted that its staff had been negligent in not taking Ms Frith in for surgery sooner and this week approved a compensation payout that, although confidential, is believed to amount to millions of pounds.
According to the charity Scope, one in every 400 children in the UK is born with cerebral palsy.
This is most commonly the result of failure of a part of the brain to develop and can be caused by a lack of oxygen in the womb, as was the case here.
Tags: Abdominal Pains, Cerebral Palsy, Charity, Communication Problems, Failure, Frith, Hospital Staff, Lack Of Oxygen, Milton Hospital, Milton Keynes, Part Of The Brain, Scope, Womb, Yelena
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