Recovered £150,000 for a client who suffered a severe injury to his knee, and required knee replacement surgery, after contracting MRSA in hospital.
Compensation for clinical negligence ‘could get easier to claim’
June 2nd, 2009
A new system has been proposed in Scotland that would make compensation for clinical negligence easier to claim.
At present, patients injured as a result of medical treatment must prove responsibility or have the NHS trust involved admit to it, which can be a lengthy and complicated process.
However, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon is investigating whether a different system could be put in place that would allow patients to claim ‘no fault’ payouts.
This could lead to compensation for thousands of people who contracted superbugs such as MRSA in hospital.
The plans are to be proposed and discussed further in 2010.
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.
Footballer seeks legal action after contracting MRSA
February 9th, 2009
A former Premier League footballer is seeking the advice of a solicitor in order to launch a possible compensation claim against an NHS trust.
Jamie Lawrence, 38, suffered a cut to his knee while playing for his current club Harrow Borough in December.
He went to Epsom General Hospital to have it treated and had six stitches to the wound.
However, the cut continued to hurt and began weeping. Upon his return to hospital, Mr Lawrence was told he had contracted the superbug MRSA.
His leg is now in plaster and he has trouble moving around.
"It has been a joke. I am going to see my legal people. I will be taking it further," Mr Lawrence commented.
A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust said he was sorry to hear Mr Lawrence was unhappy with his treatment and encouraged him to get in touch.
Actress Leslie Ash received a record £5 million in compensation in 2008 after suing a London hospital when she contracted MRSA five years ago.
Superbug ‘thriving’ in busy hospital wards
June 24th, 2008The superbug MRSA is thriving in busy hospital wards, a new report has claimed.
According to a study by Dr Archie Clements from the University of Queensland in Australia, a combination of excessive bed occupancy and a shortage of nursing staff has led to increased hospital stays and bed blocking which fuels infection rates.
Dr Clements commented: "Hand washing is vital for reduction of MRSA transmission yet many studies show compliance in nurses is low and in doctors even lower."
MRSA Action UK chairman Derek Butler said bed occupancy rates must fall to 65 per cent – equal to that of the Netherlands and Norway.
Around one in three of us carries the Staphylococcus aureus component of MRSA, according to NHS Direct. If this enters the body through a break in the skin it can lead to boils, abscesses or impetigo.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics reveal that 1,652 died as a result of MRSA in 2006.
Superbug hospitals named and shamed
June 11th, 2008A Warwickshire hospital has been named and shamed as having the highest number of deaths linked to the superbug Clostridium (C) difficile.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that between 2002 and 2006, a total of 235 people died as a result of infections related to the superbug at George Eliot hospital in Nuneaton, report the Guardian.
Over that period, there were 6,486 deaths related to C difficile, including 233 at Walsgrave hospital in Coventry, 203 at the Royal Infirmary in Leicester and 177 at Birmingham Heartlands hospital in the West Midlands.
Meanwhile, there were 94 deaths caused by MRSA at Derriford hospital in Plymouth.
Graham Turner of the National Concern for Healthcare Infections (NCHI) group said the figures had been underestimated by at least one third.
"It should be remembered that these figures are about real people and our sympathies go out to their families," he said.
NCHI was formed by a group of individuals in response to growing concerns about the safety of patients in UK hospital and the risks posed by healthcare associated infections.
