October 8th, 2009
A woman has claimed that her unborn baby’s death was caused by a delay in getting her to hospital.
Toni Dinan, 26, was found by paramedics at her home after suffering a ruptured placenta. They radioed to see if she could be taken to Scarborough Hospital, but were told that no beds were available and that she should be driven to Hull Infirmary.
The unborn baby died during the extra 20 minutes it took to get there and Ms Dinan has now lodged a complaint with the Health Service Ombudsman about the treatment she received.
"I am blaming the hospital, I am blaming the NHS. If they had the right number of beds … we would not be having this problem and probably my baby would be here now," she commented.
A spokesperson for Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust said Ms Dinan was taken to Hull because it had better facilities for dangerously ill babies.
Anyone who experiences a stillbirth after what they believe to be sub-standard care may be eligible to make a claim for compensation and should seek the advice of an experienced solicitor.
Tags: Beds, Clinical Negligence, Dinan, East Yorkshire, Health Service Ombudsman, Healthcare Nhs Trust, Ill Babies, Infirmary, Paramedics, Ruptured Placenta, Scarborough Hospital, Solicitor, Spokesperson, Stillbirth, Unborn Baby, Woman, Yorkshire
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October 6th, 2009
A surgeon could be facing legal action over a death in hospital after new evidence came to light regarding the incident.
William John Martin, 55, died in 2001 during an operation at the City Hospital, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
Surgeon Dick Donaldson tore the victim’s portal vein and hepatic artery while performing a bladder removal procedure and it is claimed by Mr Martin’s family that this was a result of clinical negligence.
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has said it is looking into the death again and may formally reopen the investigation, leaving Mr Martin’s family free to pursue legal action if the surgeon is found to be negligent.
A spokesperson said: "The PPS confirmed that in light of new information which has been brought to its attention it will be meeting with police this week."
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.
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.
Tags: Belfast Telegraph, Bladder, Clinical Negligence, Dick, Donaldson, Faces, Failure, Health Service, Injury Death, New Evidence, Portal Vein, Pps, Public Prosecution Service, Spokesperson
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October 6th, 2009
The safety of unmanned railway crossings has been called into question after a fatal crash involving a car and a train.
Three elderly people were killed in Caithness on September 29th after their car was hit by a high speed train heading to Inverness, the Herald Scotland reports.
It is the same crossing that was at the centre of a similar accident in 2002, when Sarah Jappy was almost killed after driving onto the crossing and being hit by a train.
She is seeking compensation of £500,000 from Network Rail for her injuries and for the threat posed to her unborn baby, who was born while she was in a coma after the accident.
She maintains that if there had been a proper barrier in place at the level crossing, neither her accident nor the most recent one would have happened.
A spokesperson from Network Rail said: "All our level crossings are regularly inspected to check they are appropriate to the level of road and rail traffic in the area and we are confident the correct crossing is in place at Halkirk."
According to railway safety group the RSSB, the risk from signals passed at danger has reduced by over 85 per cent since 2001, while the risk to passengers from train accidents has reduced by more than 80 per cent.
Tags: Caithness, Coma, Crash Car, Fatal Crash, High Speed Train, Inverness, Jappy, Level Crossings, Rail Traffic, Railway Crossings, Railway Safety, Risk, Rssb, Safety Group, Scotland, Signals, Spokesperson, Train Accidents, Unborn Baby
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September 24th, 2009
Kettering General Hospital is to pay three people a total of £1.5 million in compensation after complications at their respective births left them blind.
The victims, who have not been named, are now aged 21, 18 and 16 and have been blind since they were born prematurely at the hospital, the Northampton Evening Telegraph reports.
It was found that they had not been provided with enough oxygen, which had led to insufficient development in the eye and a condition called retinopathy of prematurity.
The victims opted to seek compensation for the loss of opportunities caused by their blindness, as well as their heightened care needs.
Their lawyers have now successfully negotiated a collective £1.5 million in compensation for clinical negligence.
A spokesperson for Kettering General Hospital said: "The trust is unable to comment on individual claims as we would want at all times to respect the right to privacy and confidentiality of our patients."
Retinopathy of prematurity is thought to be caused by the disorganised growth of blood vessels in the retina and can often affect premature babies. It can result in scarring, retinal detachment and blindness.
Tags: 5 Million, Births, Blindness, Blood Vessels, Clinical Negligence, General Hospital, Insufficient Development, Lawyers, Northampton, Oxygen, Premature Babies, Privacy And Confidentiality, Retina, Retinal Detachment, Retinopathy Of Prematurity, Right To Privacy, Right To Privacy And Confidentiality, Spokesperson, Telegraph Reports
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September 22nd, 2009
As many as one in six NHS patients is becoming the victim of a misdiagnosis, new research has warned.
A study from Imperial College London found that 15 per cent of people were being diagnosed with the wrong illness because doctors were too quick to assess patients, or were unwilling to seek second opinions when unsure.
Profesor Graham Neale, spokesperson for the institution, said that although the majority of errors were rectified within two days, thousands of people could still be at risk.
Peter Walsh, the chief executive of Action Against Medical Accidents, agreed, commenting: "We would like to see it become a legal requirement for all missed diagnoses to be reported."
Earlier this week, the Manchester Evening News reported that a man had died after being sent home from hospital three times, despite the fact that he had been suffering from a swollen blood vessel in his brain which later ruptured.
Tags: Blood Vessel, Brain, Chief Executive, Doctors, Imperial College London, Manchester Evening News, Medical Accidents, Missed Diagnoses, News Reported That, Nhs Patients, Peter Walsh, Risk, Spokesperson, Three Times
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