February 23rd, 2009
A man who hurt his hand while working as a nurse is to receive compensation from the NHS trust responsible for the hospital where he was employed.
The nurse, named only as Mr Amankwa, was opening a toilet window for a patient at St Helier Hospital in 2002 when his hand went through the glass pane, the Sutton Guardian reports.
His injuries were so serious that he was off work for four weeks and needed both surgery and physiotherapy.
He said the accident still causes him pain and swelling.
"I decided to take action as a matter of principle, as I felt strongly that those windows should have been replaced many years ago," Ms Amankwa said.
He sued Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, which has now admitted joint liability with the victim and has agreed to a payout of £11,000.
According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive, sickness absence costs the NHS £1 billion a year.
Tags: 1 Billion, Damages, Epsom And St Helier Nhs Trust, Glass Pane, Guardian, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Joint Liability, Nurse, Principle, Sickness Absence, St Helier Hospital, St Helier Nhs Trust, Sutton, Toilet
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
June 20th, 2008
Many 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.
Tags: Anaesthetic, Autonomy, British Medical Journal, Elderly Patients, Explicit Consent, Gershon, Gross Violation, Grunfeld, Hospital Patients, Hospitals, Human Rights, Journal Medical, Medical Ethics, Medical Staff, Medical Students, Metro, Principle, Student British Medical Journal, Unconscious Patients, Volunteer
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
