A diabetic woman has started a bid for compensation after being left acutely disabled by a stroke.
Janet Birch, who is a type one diabetic, was admitted to Watford General hospital in 2003 with a suspected aneurysm, reports the Watford Observer.
Ms Birch was transferred to the National Hospital for Neurosurgery and Neurology where staff were equipped with a specialised MRI scanner. Medical staff decided to perform invasive surgery on Ms Birch which, according to her QC, carried significant risks.
"Instead, she should have undergone a different and entirely safe non-invasive procedure, which had been requested by a consultant neurologist," commented James Badenoch QC.
Ms Birch has now launched legal action against managers at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for clinical negligence.
The trust denies liability.
Cash-strapped medical students recently protested outside the hospital over the withdrawal of free accommodation for trainee doctors, according to the Camden New Journal.
Woman left disabled after surgery begins compo claim
July 22nd, 2008
Many patients’ human rights ‘violated’
June 20th, 2008Many hospital patients in the UK are having their human rights violated while under anaesthetic, it has been claimed.
Writing in the Student British Medical Journal, medical ethics specialist Dr Gershon Grunfeld said that medical students are intimately examining unconscious patients without their approval.
"Performing intimate examinations on patients without their explicit consent is a gross violation of the principle of respect for patients’ autonomy," he said.
Current guidelines state that patients must give their permission before being examined in such a way, reports the Metro.
Dr Grunfeld found that the guidelines are often ignored, or are not fully understood, by medical staff and called for hospitals to establish procedures whereby patients can volunteer to help with teaching.
He also commented: "Medical students must put their responsibility towards patients before any learning opportunity."
Last year, it was also reported that the human rights of elderly patients were not being adequately protected in many hospitals and care homes.
