Claiming compensation for a fall in a hospital

When patients are admitted to a hospital, they are there to receive necessary treatment, and often for a period of care and recovery too. We, therefore, expect hospitals to be safe environments, in which patients are cared for until they have the ability to care for themselves at home. However, if staff do not monitor and maintain the safety of the hospital environment, risks may emerge that can put patients in danger. A fall in a hospital is one example of an accident that can be provoked when organisations fail to keep hazards at bay.

A fall may seem like a minor problem, but to elderly people or those with existing mobility issues, it can cause long-term complications. As such, it is important that any potentially negligent actions that may have led to a fall are thoroughly investigated, as the affected patient may be entitled to claim medical negligence compensation.

How might a patient fall in hospital?

Patients are often in a physically and/or mentally weakened state whilst in hospital, which is why it is important that doctors and nurses keep an eye on them and ensure that all potential risks to their safety are eliminated. Unfortunately, some medical professionals can fail in this duty in a number of different ways, which could include:

• Failing to accommodate patients who are at risk of falling (e.g., not providing specialised beds or mobility aids).
• Failing to ensure the safety of the environment.
• Failing to monitor patients who are more likely to fall.
• Failing to examine or treat patients after a fall, leading to pain or further injury.

If any of these circumstances have affected you, you may be able to claim medical negligence compensation for a fall in a hospital.

Medical negligence claims for a fall in a hospital

When pursuing claims relating to a fall in a hospital, we can look to evaluate the errors that brought about the fall. We will usually need to hear your account of the incident, and we will need to obtain your medical records to evaluate the injury or complications caused by your fall.

In particular, it is important to consider how a fall in a hospital has impacted you in the short term and long term. For example, if you broke a bone, this may require a relatively short period of recovery. But, in other cases, your injury may lead to permanent mobility difficulties, and this could increase the value of your claim.

Besides the General Damages for the pain and injury caused, you may also be able to recover Special Damages for any financial losses or expenses incurred. For example, where the injury caused by your fall may have led to pain medication costs, you could be reimbursed for such medical costs.

Make your compensation claim

As specialist medical negligence lawyers, we know the sense of injustice you may feel at the poor standard of care you were given, and it is our job to ensure you are fairly compensated for any harm caused. We know that our clients have already suffered undue pain and injury, which is why we aim to make the claim process as simple and stress-free as possible.

You can contact our team today for free, no-obligation advice on your potential No Win, No Fee claim.