September 7th, 2009
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has paid £150,000 compensation to the family of a man who died after staff failed to diagnose a serious heart condition.
David Whittaker, 61, died after suffering a torn artery, a condition known as aortic dissection.
However, staff at Queen’s Medical Centre failed to spot this when he went to the hospital after complaining of chest pains.
Staff carried out some tests on Mr Whittaker, but did not undertake an electrocardiogram – a scan which may have identified the condition and enabled doctors to treat it appropriately.
He was discharged from hospital, but died the following day.
Mr Whittaker’s widow pursued a medical negligence claim against the trust, which admitted there had been shortcomings in his treatment and agreed a settlement, which included the six-figure compensation payout.
"[The settlement] accepts that an inappropriate failure to diagnose and treat her late husband’s aortic dissection on July 24th 2006 and that, had appropriate treatment been provided, her late husband would probably have survived," a spokesman for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said.
News of the payout comes just weeks after the NHS Litigation Authority revealed the NHS spent £807 million to settle compensation claims in 2008-09.
Tags: Aortic Dissection, Chest Pains, Compensation Claims, David Whittaker, Doctors, Electrocardiogram, Failure, Hospitals Nhs Trust, July 24th, Litigation, Medical Centre, Medical Negligence Claim, Nhs Litigation Authority, Nottingham University, Queen, Serious Heart Condition, Shortcomings, Spokesman, University Hospitals Nhs Trust
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April 16th, 2009
A woman whose husband died of bowel cancer after he had been given the all-clear is to sue the medical centre where he received treatment.
Steve Davies, 47, was given a colonoscopy last year and was told that his cancer had cleared, ThisisSomerset.co.uk reports.
However, his condition worsened and he was operated on eight months later, which is when medics discovered three large tumours that he been present since 2004.
Tracey Davies said surgeon Ben Mak of Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre, Somerset, should have seen the tumours and could have made her husband’s life more pleasant in his final months.
She commented: "They couldn’t have done anything more for Steve but they could have given him some pain relief."
Ms Davies is now taking legal action for clinical negligence. Mr Mak has since resigned after it was revealed that another patient had suffered the same fate as Mr Davies.
Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre is a surgical Independent Sector Treatment Centre that provides 12,000 procedures a year for the NHS.
Tags: Bowel Cancer, Clinical Negligence, Colonoscopy, Eight Months, Fate, Independent Sector, Medical Centre, Medics, Mr Davies, Mr Mak, Ms Davies, Nhs, Pain Relief, Somerset, Steve Davies, Tumours, Woman
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December 9th, 2008
The wife of a man who was given the all-clear for cancer but later died from the disease is to sue the medical centre she claims is responsible.
Steven Davies, 47, went to see medical professionals in January 2007 and had two bowel examinations, but was told he did not have cancer, the Telegraph reports.
However, in September 2007 he returned to hospital in severe pain and surgeons found tumours that had been in his bowel for up to four years.
He died nine days later and Tracey Davies, 43, said she is to take legal action against Shepton Mallet Treatment Centre.
Ben Mak, the surgeon who carried out the initial checks on Mr Davies, has been suspended by the General Medical Council and later resigned from his position.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: "The General Medical Council has been informed about this surgeon’s work and a full independent investigation is being carried out."
Negligence may occur from delay or failure to diagnose a condition, delay or failure to treat a condition, when a treatment goes wrong, use of the wrong treatment, or failure to obtain consent.
Anyone who has suffered as a result of suspected negligence should seek the advice of a solicitor.
Tags: Cancer, Checks, General Medical Council, Independent Investigation, Medical Centre, Medical Professionals, Mr Davies, Negligence, Nine Days, Severe Pain, Solicitor, Spokesperson, Telegraph, Treatment Failure, Tumours, Woman
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November 28th, 2008
Nottingham University Hospitals has paid £10,000 to the family of four-month-old Ellie Behan, who died from a rare bowel condition less than two weeks after being discharged from Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC).
The Nottingham Evening Post reports that Ellie had shown signs of being seriously ill when she vomited green liquid in front of nurses, but the information was not passed on to doctors and the family were told they could take her home later that day.
She then became critically ill and died nine days later.
Ellie had initially been admitted for vomiting green liquid, but she vomited clear liquid in front of the doctor who first saw her, which indicated that her ailment was not as serious. Her case was then passed on to another doctor.
"We are deeply sorry that there were shortcomings in the care she received," commented trust spokesman Stephen Fowlie.
"Ellie should not have been discharged when she first came to the QMC."
The news comes as the Southport Visitor revealed that medical payouts by Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust increased by 60 per cent over the last 12 months.
Tags: 12 Months, Ailment, Behan, Doctor Who, Ellie, Fowlie, Hospital Trust, Medical Centre, Nine Days, Nottingham Evening Post, Nurses, Ormskirk, Qmc, Shortcomings, Southport And Ormskirk Nhs Trust, Southport Visitor, Spokesman, University Hospitals, Wrongful Discharge
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August 27th, 2008
A hospital has issued an apology after making mistakes in relation to patient transport, it has been revealed.
According to reports in the Telegraph & Argus, Anthony Hall – who was suffering from a collapsed lung – had to make his own way to the medical centre by bus and on foot.
The 45-year-old made the 13-mile journey to St James’s Hospital in Leeds in May this year while struggling to breathe and carrying a surgical bag which was draining fluid from his lung.
According to Mr Hall, despite having explained the seriousness of his condition over the phone to a doctor, he was then transferred to a nurse who told him he would have to make his own way to the hospital – which is run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – and that no ambulance would be sent.
Commenting on the case, the patient’s MP Philip Davies said: "It seems totally unacceptable that somebody in Mr Hall’s situation could not get an ambulance to take him to hospital."
Tags: Ambulance, Amp, Apologises, Apology, Argus, Collapsed Lung, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Nhs Trust, Medical Centre, Mile Journey, Mistake, Mp, Nurse, Patient Transport, Philip Davies, S Hospital, Seriousness, St James, Teaching Hospitals Nhs Trust, Telegraph
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