August 27th, 2009
A new report has discovered that as many as one in five young people is driving without the correct level of insurance.
The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) found that 250,000 people aged between 17 and 20 are taking to the roads without cover, putting insured drivers at risk if they are hit.
Many young people claimed they did not know that insurance is a legal requirement, while others said that the high cost of insurance has led to them breaking the law.
Ashton West, chief executive of the MIB, commented: "While we recognise the financial pressures for drivers taking to the roads for the first time, it is also a criminal offence to drive without proper insurance cover."
The MIB was established to deal with cases stemming from uninsured driver accidents and manages over 30,000 claims from people who have been hit by someone without cover every year.
Anyone involved in such an accident may wish to seek legal advice, as motoring claims can be complicated and lengthy.
Tags: 000 People, Accidents, Ashton, Breaking The Law, Chief Executive, Criminal Offence, Driving Without Insurance, Financial Pressures, Insurance, Insurance Cover, Led, Legal Advice, Mib, Motor Insurers Bureau, Motorists, Proper Insurance, Risk, Uninsured Driver, Young People
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
August 24th, 2009
Human error in an Essex hospital has led to the wrong patient being operated on, it has been revealed.
Staff at King George Hospital in Goodmayes made the mistake when two patients with the same name were treated on the same ward.
The victim endured a painful lung operation when it should have been given to the other man. It is not yet clear if he will be taking legal action against the hospital.
Joyce Robins, co-director of Patient Concern, commented: "The terrifying thing about this catalogue of disaster is that it is just the tip of the iceberg."
A spokesperson from the Department of Health insisted that patient safety is the NHS’s highest priority and claimed that 93 per cent of those treated are satisfied with their care.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that NHS compensation payouts for clinical negligence had risen by 22 per cent from 2008-09, amounting to some £807 million.
Tags: Clinical Negligence, Co Director, Compensation Payouts, Department Of Health, Disaster, Essex, Health Safety, Human Error, Leads, Led, Mistake, Nhs, Patient Safety, Priority, Spokesperson, Tip Of The Iceberg
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
June 16th, 2009
A couple from Wales have been paid compensation after a devastating blunder at an IVF facility led to them losing a second chance to become parents.
The pair, named only as Debra and Paul, were hoping to try for a second child through IVF using their last surviving embryo in December 2007.
However, due to mistakes which were blamed on staff being overworked, the embryo was implanted into the wrong woman.
When the mistake was realised, the other woman agreed to a termination, but Debra said she was devastated that her last embryo made up of her own biological material had been destroyed.
Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust apologised unreservedly for the mistake and has agreed to a compensation payout of approximately £25,000 after admitting to gross failures in care.
Debra and Paul have said they may use the compensation to pay for further IVF treatment using donated eggs.
According to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, one in seven UK couples have difficulty conceiving and infertility is the most likely reason for a visit to the doctor after pregnancy.
Tags: Biological Material, Blunder, Cardiff And Vale Nhs Trust, Eggs, Embryo, Gross, Infertility, Ivf Treatment, Led, Mistake, National Institute For Clinical Excellence, Parents, Pregnancy, Reason, Second Chance, Uk Couples, Vale Nhs Trust, Wales, Wrong Woman
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
March 19th, 2009
Figures obtained by a newspaper have revealed that an NHS trust was forced to make one of the UK’s largest payouts for clinical negligence in 2007 after admitting liability for an incident in which a child was left disabled.
Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust paid £3.6 million in compensation to the unnamed family two years ago, the Swindon Advertiser revealed.
The child in question was taken to the town’s former Princess Margaret Hospital in Okus, which is no longer in operation.
However, he or she did not receive adequate care and was left with permanent brain damage as a result.
Stephen Ellis, a spokesperson for Patient Care, said the payout was justified given the severity of the child’s injuries.
"What needs to be understood about that is we’re talking about children or babies with disabilities they have for the rest of their lives," he pointed out.
The trust paid the family as part of an out-of-court settlement and said it hoped the money would assist them in the future care of their child.
According to the Meningitis Trust, over 500,000 people in the UK have had some form of meningitis.
Tags: 6 Million, Adequate Care, Babies, Brain Damage, Clinical Negligence, Compensation Payouts, Court Settlement, Disabilities, Former Princess Margaret Hospital, Future Care, Led, Marlborough, Meningitis, Nhs Trust, Patient Care, Princess Margaret Hospital, Severity, Spokesperson, Swindon Advertiser
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
February 24th, 2009
A 21-year-old man has been awarded compensation following a high court hearing after it was ruled that an NHS trust was responsible for the injuries he sustained during his birth.
Christopher James Langford was born at Sandwell Hospital in Tipton in 1987, local paper the Express and Star reports.
However, his mother began to suffer complications during the delivery. Although an obstetrician was called, he did not arrive and Christopher was starved of oxygen. He went on to develop cerebral palsy.
The court heard that had the doctor arrived when he was called, Christopher could have been delivered within nine minutes and that he would not have developed the disorder.
He will now receive a payout from the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority which is likely to run into millions of pounds in order to cover the costs of his long-term care.
A spokesperson for the trust said it "deeply regrets" Christopher’s injuries and it is now working towards a compensation settlement for him.
According to figures from Scope, one in 400 children born in he UK has cerebral palsy.
Tags: Brain Damage, Cerebral Palsy, Express And Star, High Court Hearing, James Langford, Led, Long Term Care, Nhs Trust, Obstetrician, Old Man, Oxygen, Scope, Spokesperson, Strategic Health Authority, Tipton, West Midlands
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
