September 21st, 2009
A man died from a brain haemorrhage after being sent home from hospital three times, an inquest has heard.
Stuart Foley, 30 began to suffer severe headaches on December 13th 2007 and went to the casualty department at Wythenshawe Hospital, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He was sent home with paracetamol after being told his symptoms were due to a migraine. However, he continued to suffer stabbing pains in his head and returned nine days later, only to be told the same thing.
Mr Foley went back to casualty after collapsing on December 27th, but was still not given a brain scan. He finally collapsed again on January 8th and was found to be suffering from massive brain injuries caused by an aneurysm. The victim died two days later.
Nicholas Todd, a consultant neurosurgeon, told the inquest that had Mr Foley received a brain scan, it is likely that he could have been saved.
A spokesperson for University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust commented: "We sincerely regret that there were missed opportunities to diagnose and treat Mr Foley."
It is not yet clear if the victim’s family is to take legal action against the hospital.
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that a group of women in Lancashire are considering compensation claims after they were wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer.
Tags: Aneurysm, Brain Haemorrhage, Brain Injuries, Breast Cancer, Casualty Department, Compensation Claims, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Daily Mail, Foley, Foundation Trust, Group Of Women, Inquest, Manchester Evening News, Massive Brain, Nhs Trust, Nine Days, Paracetamol, Severe Headaches, South Manchester, Wythenshawe Hospital
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May 26th, 2009
The family of a woman who died from meningitis after her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed by doctors is preparing to take legal action against the NHS trust its members hold responsible.
Karen Finan fell ill on April 12th and her husband Darren called her GP for a home visit. He diagnosed gastroenteritis and said she would soon recover.
However, her symptoms worsened and she began to suffer with a fever and severe headaches, the Daily Mail reports.
Despite Mr Finan calling out another doctor, his wife was still not diagnosed and the family was told to "stop fussing" and put her to bed where she would recover.
The young mother’s condition worsened and she eventually slipped into a coma. Although she was rushed to hospital, her brain had swollen and the decision was made to switch off her life support machine five days after she first fell ill.
"They say with meningitis that every hour is critical – the longer they misdiagnosed Karen the more she was slipping away from us. We have been robbed," said Mr Finan.
A spokesperson for NHS Wakefield said the trust is investigating the incident and the proposed legal action from Ms Finan’s family.
According to statistics published by the Meningitis Trust, 500,000 people in the UK have had some form of meningitis at one time in their lives.
Tags: Brain, Daily Mail, Doctors, Family Statistics, Fever, Finan, Gp, Life Support Machine, Mail Reports, Meningitis Symptoms, Nhs Trust, Severe Headaches, Spokesperson, Trust 500, Wakefield, Young Mother, Young Woman
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February 16th, 2009
A family who almost died as a result of carbon monoxide leaking from a faulty boiler has received compensation.
Jeremy Hart’s wife and four children were struck down one by one with the symptoms of poisoning, although they thought at first it was meningitis, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He called an ambulance after they began to collapse and the paramedics recognised that they had been overcome by carbon monoxide fumes which had seeped from the boiler room all over the house.
British Gas had inspected the boiler seven months before the incident and had declared it satisfactory.
Mt Hart took legal action against the company, claiming that the outcome could have been much more serious.
"If the timing had been different we could all have died," he commented.
British Gas admitted 60 per cent liability and has now paid the family £35,000 in compensation.
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas which can kill by stopping the body absorbing oxygen.
Symptoms of poisoning include severe headaches, nausea, dizziness and tiredness.
Tags: Ambulance, Boiler Room, Carbon Monoxide, Dizziness, Jeremy Hart, Manchester Evening News, Nausea, News Reports, Odourless Gas, Oxygen, Paramedics, Quot, Seven Months, Severe Headaches, Tiredness
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January 30th, 2009
A 14-year-old boy has been awarded a compensation payout after being left paralysed by untreated tubercular meningitis.
Jason Goby fell ill with severe headaches in January 2000 and was taken to hospital. However, his condition was not diagnosed until a month later.
The child was left permanently disabled and his father launched legal action against his GP, Dr Barrie Ferguson, claiming negligence, His legal team argued that had Jason been treated straight away, he would most likely have made a full recovery.
Although Dr Ferguson denied liability, a judge at the high court this week ruled that she was negligent on this occasion and ordered her to pay Jason compensation.
The exact sum has not yet been decided, but it is expected to be a substantial payout given the severity of his injuries.
Tubercular meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord that is caused by the same bacteria as tuberculosis.
Tags: Bacteria, Barrie, Brain, Ferguson, Goby, Gp, Negligence, Paralysed, Severe Headaches, Severity, Spinal Cord, Tubercular Meningitis, Tuberculosis, Wins
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January 12th, 2009
The parents of a 16-year-old girl who died when staff failed to give her a brain scan have been paid compensation after a three-year legal battle.
Jenna Lester collapsed on her bathroom floor in 2006 after suffering from months of severe headaches and vomiting.
She was taken to hospital, but was not classed as a priority case and so a brain scan was not performed.
However, she was eventually given one when her condition deteriorated further and a rare brain condition was discovered.
Doctors said to her parents Mark, 42, and Sonia, 40, that they should have done a scan "days ago", but it was too late and Jenna died.
The Medway NHS Foundation Trust admitted it should have adequately assessed the teenager’s condition and her parents will now receive £10,000 in compensation.
Negligence may occur from delay or failure to diagnose a condition, delay or failure to treat a condition, when a treatment goes wrong, use of the wrong treatment, or failure to obtain consent.
Victims of such failures may be eligible to claim compensation and should seek legal advice.
Tags: Bathroom Floor, Brain Scan, Doctors, Failure, Foundation Trust, Legal Advice, Medway, Negligence, Nhs Trust, Old Girl, Parents, Priority, Rare Brain Condition, Severe Headaches, Sonia, Suffering From, Teenager
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