November 2nd, 2009
A hospital trust is facing a compensation claim after it was fined £10,000 when a vulnerable patient in its care fell out of a first-floor window and suffered serious injuries.
North East Essex Primary Care Trust admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act after Charles Preston, a partially-sighted 68-year-old, suffered breaks to his shoulder, pelvis and coccyx when he fell.
The incident occurred at the Clacton & District Hospital in March 2008.
Following the court ruling, Mr Preston has announced his intention to sue the trust.
Kim Wicks, the Health and Safety Executive inspector who investigated the case, said the accident could have been avoided.
"The control measures, in this case window restrictors, to prevent this risk are easy to fit and maintain," she said.
Last week, the Herald reported that student Jonathan Harvey was going to sue Plymouth City Council after he fell 20ft through a broken fence on council property.
Tags: Broken Fence, Case Window, Charles Preston, Clacton, Coccyx, Compensation Claim, Control Measures, East Essex, Health And Safety, Health And Safety At Work, Health And Safety At Work Act, Health And Safety Executive, Hospital Trust, Jonathan Harvey, Pelvis, Plymouth City Council, Primary Care Trust, Safety At Work, Section 3
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
June 19th, 2009
A woman has pledged to seek compensation from two NHS trusts after her daughter died in hospital from meningitis.
Shazia Ahmed, a 25-year-old mother of one, had already called out-of-hours GP services twice in February when she began to feel unwell with a rash and terrible sickness.
However, the medics refused a home visit and when Ms Ahmed’s symptoms began to worsen, her mother Lorraine Lewis took her to A&E at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital.
Despite this, her meningitis was not diagnosed for a further 15 hours, by which time it was too late to treat her.
The victim died five days later and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust have since apologised for the failings in her care.
The trusts admitted that had Ms Ahmed been diagnosed earlier, a "different outcome" might have been reached.
Ms Lewis said: "What we got was a shoddy service which probably killed my daughter." In an interview with the Oxford Mail, she added: "I’m going to sue. I’ve been to see my solicitor."
Tags: Amp, Apologised, Gp Services, John Radcliffe Hospital, Lorraine Lewis, Medics, Meningitis, Nhs Trusts, Old Mother, Oxford Mail, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Oxfordshire, Primary Care Trust, Quot, Rash, Shazia, Shoddy Service, Solicitor, Woman
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
April 1st, 2009
A young mother who was suffering from cervical cancer but who was not correctly diagnosed by medics is to receive compensation for her ordeal.
Cheryl Field, 33, had a smear test in 2001 which proved negative, but by January 2003, she began to suffer pain and bleeding.
Although she was given a referral to a gynaecologist by Dr Shamsh Suleman at Withymoor Village Surgery, it was a non-urgent appointment and it was not until five months later that a tumour was discovered.
"I told my doctor … that I was worried about cancer but he laughed this off and told me not to be silly," said Ms Field.
The tumour was too large to be removed and Ms Field had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which has left her with permanent damage and unable to work.
Dudley Primary Care Trust has now agreed to pay the victim an undisclosed but "substantial" sum of compensation.
Chief executive of the organisation Mark Cooke said: "We accept that the standard of care which Mrs Field received fell below that which she was entitled to expect."
The reports follow news from last month that a Manchester woman had received compensation from Wythenshawe Hospital after her cervical cancer was also misdiagnosed and she almost died.
Tags: Blunders, Cervical Cancer, Chemotherapy, Chief Executive, Dudley, Five Months, Gynaecologist, Mark Cooke, Medics, Mrs Field, Ms Field, Ordeal, Permanent Damage, Primary Care Trust, Radiotherapy, Smear Test, Substantial Compensation, Suleman, Tumour, Young Mother
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
December 22nd, 2008
An elderly man has secured a modest compensation payout after he was seriously injured in hospital.
Harold Shaw, 82, was recovering form a hip replacement in Finchley Memorial Hospital in July 2006.
A nurse came to help him from a chair into bed, but she did not realise that he could not put weight on his leg and she dropped him, the Hendon & Finchley Times reports.
Mr Shaw’s thigh bone was shattered and his new hip was broken, leaving him in pain and a shadow of his former self, his family said.
"I used to walk four miles every day. Now I can’t get out of a chair," Mr Shaw commented.
Legal action was taken against Barnet Primary Care Trust, which has now agreed to a payout of £180,000.
If safety regulations are breached in a hospital and an injury occurs as a result of this negligence, the victim may be eligible for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor.
Tags: Amp, Barnet, Damages, Elderly Man, Finchley Memorial Hospital, Harold Shaw, Hip Replacement, Mr Shaw, Negligence, Nurse, Pensioner, Primary Care Trust, Safety Regulations, Solicitor, Thigh Bone
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