October 15th, 2009
A widow is considering legal action against an NHS trust after her husband died following an operation.
Joseph Gill, 58, was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in July for a lung cancer operation. However, he was given the wrong medication six times when staff mixed him up with another patient and he fell ill.
Despite this, he was taken in for the surgery to receive part of his lung on July 7th. Complications arose and he died on July 16th.
Eileen Gill, 55, said she blames NHS Grampian for her husband’s death and claims the nurses had called him George and repeatedly given him medication meant for a heart patient.
She is now demanding answers in order to consider pursuing a clinical negligence compensation claim.
"We’ve got a solicitor but can’t do anything until we know what drug he was given," she commented.
A spokesperson for NHS Grampian denied that the medication mix-up had led to Mr Gill’s death but said that lessons had been learnt since the mistakes.
This comes after research from the Care Quality Commission revealed that one in nine of the 392 NHS trusts in the UK performed badly or failed to improve in the last year.
Tags: Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Cancer Operation, Care Quality, Clinical Negligence Compensation, Compensation Claim, Grampian, Heart Patient, Joseph Gill, July 7th, Lung Cancer, Medication, Mr Gill, Nhs Trust, Nhs Trusts, Nurses, Quality Commission, Six Times, Solicitor, Spokesperson
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July 31st, 2009
A young man who was the victim of a medical blunder at his birth has been awarded compensation that will cover his long-term care needs.
The unnamed victim was deprived of oxygen at birth due to errors by health professionals. Had he been delivered 25 minutes earlier, his brain damage could have been avoided, Conscious.co.uk reports.
Now, however, he cannot walk or talk and is reliant on others for his care. His family were wrongly told that they could not claim compensation because their son is now over three years old, but they recently found that this is not the case and lodged a claim against the NHS trust involved.
Indeed, although those over 18 must seek compensation within three years of clinical negligence occurring, the families of children affected by it can make a claim until they are 18 years old.
The NHS trust admitted liability for the victim’s brain injuries and agreed to a £3.8 million payout that will enable him to move to a specially adapted house.
Claims for clinical negligence can be brought against a range of health professionals, including doctors, private healthcare practitioners, dentists, nurses, occupational therapists and plastic surgeons.
Tags: 18 Years, Brain Damage, Brain Injuries, Clinical Negligence, Dentists, Doctors, Health Professionals, Healthcare Practitioners, Left Brain, Long Term Care, Medical Blunder, Nhs Trust, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Oxygen, Private Healthcare, Young Man
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July 14th, 2009
A woman whose bowel was accidentally stitched up when she went into hospital to have a routine hysterectomy is seeking compensation from the hospital she holds responsible.
Lynn Main, 55, was admitted to Horton General Hospital in Oxfordshire on May 7th for a three-day stay.
However, during surgery, a doctor mistakenly stitched up her bowel.
Ms Main was left in agony, but was told by hospital staff that she was simply constipated and should eat more.
On May 22nd, her bowel burst and she developed peritonitis. Doctors had to repair the internal injuries with staples in an emergency operation and drained the contents of her bowel manually.
Ms Main and her partner Alan Scott are now suing those responsible for Horton General Hospital for clinical negligence.
"Alan and me both knew that something was seriously wrong but none of the doctors or nurses would listen," she pointed out.
A spokesperson for the hospital said the case is under investigation.
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.
Tags: Agony, Burst, Clinical Negligence Claims, Doctors, Emergency Operation, General Hospital, Grandmother, Health Service, Hospital Staff, Hysterectomy, Injury Death, Internal Injuries, Likelihood, Nurses, Oxfordshire, Solicitor Specialising, Spokesperson, Staples, Woman
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June 25th, 2009
A man whose wife died after being given too much magnesium sulphate is to receive compensation for his loss.
Joyce Ryan was admitted to St Helier Hospital with kidney problems in December 2006, This is Local London reports.
She was treated for the problem and staff said that she was making a good recovery.
However, in January 2007, human error led to Ms Ryan being given four times as much magnesium sulphate as she had been prescribed because nurses read the dosage as 10mg instead of 10mmol/L.
Ms Ryan died 15 minutes after the overdose of the compound, which is commonly known as Epsom salt and is used to treat a range of medical problems.
A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier NHS trust said: "This was a tragic accident. We have learned lessons from it and will do everything possible to make sure it never happens again."
Stephen Ryan, 82, has now been awarded a five-figure compensation package for clinical negligence.
Earlier this month, a woman was awarded £400,000 after being given an overdose of the powerful antibiotic gentamicin.
Tags: 15 Minutes, Clinical Negligence, Compensation Package, Epsom And St Helier Nhs Trust, Epsom Salt, Gentamicin, Human Error, Joyce Ryan, Kidney Problems, London Reports, Magnesium Sulphate, Medical Problems, Nurses, Spokesperson, St Helier Hospital, St Helier Nhs Trust, Stephen Ryan, Tragic Accident
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March 16th, 2009
The widow of a man who passed away while awaiting a heart operation is to seek compensation from the NHS trust involved.
Barrie Hetherington, 56, was waiting to have a pacemaker fitted in May 2007 when he suddenly took a turn for the worse, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He had suffered internal bleeding, but this was not detected by doctors. Mr Hetherington went on to have a heart attack and his life support machine had to be turned off two days later.
Manchester coroner Nigel Meadows ruled that had nurses spotted the symptoms of internal bleeding in time and alerted senior medics, Mr Hetherington may have survived.
His widow Pamela is now taking legal action against the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Trust.
"I hope the outcome of this case can go some way to ensuring that others do now have to endure the nightmare I have experienced due to the negligence of nursing staff," she commented.
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 should seek the advice of a solicitor.
Tags: advice, Clinical Negligence, Coroner, Doctors, Health Service, Heart Attack, Heart Operation, Hetherington, Injury Death, Manchester Evening News, Medics, News Reports, Nhs Trust, Nightmare, Nurses, Pacemaker, Pamela, Solicitor, South Manchester, Symptoms Of Internal Bleeding
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