November 9th, 2009
A boy has been awarded more than £250,000 in a clinical negligence claim against Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
Grant Hembry of Plymouth, who is now 11, was awarded the money after a medical blunder during his birth left him with shoulder dystocia, a condition that meant he was unable to use his right shoulder, arm and hand because of nerve damage.
He was awarded £270,795, including £60,000 for the pain and suffering caused by the incident, after the Trust admitted clinical negligence, reports The Herald.
A spokesman for the Trust said: "We were extremely disappointed by this [incident] and apologise for it as we strive to provide the highest possible standard of care to all of our patients."
Last month, a ten-year-old boy was awarded £7.1 million in a clinical negligence claim against Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
Harry Snowdon of Oxfordshire suffered brain damage as a result of complications with his birth.
Tags: 1 Million, Apologise, Brain Damage, Clinical Negligence, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Medical Blunder, Money, Negligence Claim, Nerve Damage, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Nhs Trust, Oxfordshire, Pain And Suffering, Plymouth, Shoulder Arm, Shoulder Dystocia, Snowdon, Spokesman, Wins
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November 6th, 2009
A 14-year-old girl has been awarded millions in compensation after winning a medical negligence claim against the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
Tahlia Downes was deprived of oxygen during her birth, leaving her with severe mental and physical disabilities.
Her mother brought the medical negligence claim against the hospital on the grounds that she should have been given a Caesarean section during the birth, reports the BBC.
Norfolk and Norwich Hospital will pay the family compensation after the judge in the case ruled that it should pay 70 per cent of the full valuation of the claim.
The payout is expected to run into millions once a final figure is reached, money that will be used to provide care for Tahlia for the rest of her life.
Last month, ten-year-old Harry Snowdon of Oxfordshire was awarded £7.1 million in compensation in a similar medical negligence case against Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, in which he was left with brain damage following difficulties with his birth.
Tags: 1 Million, 14 Year Old Girl, Bbc, Brain Damage, Caesarean Section, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Left Brain, Medical Negligence Case, Medical Negligence Claim, Money, Norwich Hospital, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Nhs Trust, Oxfordshire, Oxygen, Physical Disabilities, Snowdon, Tahlia, Wins
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October 29th, 2009
A girl who went blind after doctors failed to spot a brain tumour has been awarded £1.5 million in compensation.
Tatum Rock, now 16, went into King George Hospital in Essex after banging her head in a fall in 1999.
She had X-rays, but was sent home when the radiologist missed a large brain tumour. Although the condition came to light four months later and she had corrective surgery, it was too late to save her sight.
An investigation revealed that had the X-ray been read properly, the victim would have had surgery immediately and her sight would most likely have been saved.
Tatum took legal action against Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which has now admitted liability for the misdiagnosis and agreed to the payout.
Hospital bosses apologised for the failings and wished Tatum well for her future at university.
Research from Imperial College London recently revealed that as many as one in six NHS patients are being misdiagnosed by either GPs or hospital staff.
Tags: 5 Million, 5m, Barking Havering And Redbridge, Brain Tumour, Corrective Surgery, Doctors, Essex, Four Months, Gps, Havering, Hospital Staff, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Imperial College London, Misdiagnosis, Nhs Patients, Radiologist, University Hospitals Nhs Trust, X Ray, X Rays
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October 21st, 2009
A woman is taking legal action against a surgeon who she says ruined her life after what should have been a routine operation.
Vivienne Edwards went into the Whittington Hospital in London in September 2006 for a procedure to correct her lower back pain.
Dr Dhinh Nguyen said he could scrape away some bone and leave the patient pain-free.
However, when Ms Edwards awoke, she had severe bowel and bladder problems, nerve damage, clawed feet and numbness in her arms and legs, the London Evening Standard reports.
She realised that Dr Nguyen must have severed a nerve, but he denied that the problems had been caused by the operation.
The patient decided to sue the surgeon and Whittington Hospitals NHS Trust for clinical negligence four months ago and her solicitors believe that she could receive as much as £500,000 in compensation after complaints emerged from other patients.
"I’ve become very solitary. My life revolves around hospitals. It’s horrible. I’m only 60," Ms Edwards commented.
For clinical negligence claims to be successful, solicitors must prove that a duty of care existed between the patient and the medical professional and that he or she breached this.
Tags: Arms And Legs, Bladder Problems, Clinical Negligence, Duty Of Care, Four Months, Hospitals Nhs Trust, London Evening Standard, Lower Back Pain, Ms Edwards, Nerve Damage, Nguyen, Numbness, Patient Pain, Routine Operation, Solicitors, Whittington Hospital, Woman
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October 16th, 2009
A woman who was left with a memory span of ten minutes after suffering from a brain haemorrhage has received a multi-million pound payout.
Cristina Malcolm, 41, collapsed in July 2002 with a terrible headache, but was told when she sought medical advice that it was a virus.
In fact, blood had already leaked into her brain and she then went on to suffer a more serious haemorrhage.
Mrs Malcolm was taken to Newcastle General Hospital to have half a litre of blood removed from her brain, but it was too late to reverse the damage and the patient was left brain damaged.
She now needs constant care from her husband Sandy, who describes her as "like a ten-year-old with Alzheimer’s".
GP Dr James Harrison, Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust all admitted to clinical negligence and have agreed to a compensation payout of £4.46 million.
Settlements for brain damage are typically larger than those for other injuries since the money must cover the long-term care of the patient. Anyone affected by cases such as this may wish to seek legal advice.
Tags: Acute Hospitals Nhs Trust, Brain Damage, Brain Haemorrhage, Clinical Negligence, Constant Care, Darlington, Dr James, Gp, Headache, Hospitals Nhs Trust, James Harrison, Left Brain, Legal Advice, Litre, Long Term Care, Medical Advice, Memory Span, Newcastle General Hospital, Quot
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