The Medical Negligence Blog
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A reported 22% increase in fatal drug overdoses involving Fentanyl in just one year
Plagued by a reported opioid crisis, the U.S. has released national statistics on drug-related deaths, revealing staggering results that reflect the country’s problems.
In the last year alone, the U.S reports a death toll of 64,000 for people who suffered fatal overdoses.
Here in the U.K., the Office for National Statistics puts the figure for deaths involving substance abuse at 952, which is a significant increase from 579 just five years ago. Irrelevant of whether our death-rates are nowhere near as bad as the U.S. or not, the issue is that the U.K. could be headed in a similar direction to the U.S. when it comes to medicinal drug overuse and problems, and this cannot be ignored.
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When failure and delays in providing treatment is a cause for medical negligence
We all know that our National Health Service (NHS) is extremely busy. The mainstream media inform us about the constant shortages of nurses and hospital beds all the time. With so many patients and so little staff, sometimes it feels like the quality of care the NHS provides has significantly dropped. In their busy and long shifts, doctors and nurses are arguably susceptible to making mistakes more than we would like to think about.
Research states that around 15% of patients suffer a misdiagnosis or mistreatment because of mistakes. In the worst of these scenarios, people can be left suffering with serious problems.
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How does a medical negligence claim for compensation work?
Doctors and nurses in the medical profession are absolutely vital in society. They’re highly regarded and respected for their ability to help us with all sorts of ailments: from broken bones to the rarest of diseases.
We trust them to look after our bodies and minds. We put our faith in them that they will do their very best to help us. But, unfortunately, mistakes can happen; Doctors are human after all. When a medical professional has been negligent, it can be very stressful and cause the victim a lot of problems, which is why there is the need to make claims for medical negligence where applicable.
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Gallstones are small stones that form in the gallbladder. While gallstones can generally be harmless, and do not always need to be treated, they can become trapped in a duct inside the gallbladder which can lead to serious abdominal pain.
Gallstones can be a serious medical emergency and in the worst case scenario, if not dealt with, can be fatal. As such, it’s important that gallstones are identified and dealt with when the need arises for the sake of the patient’s health and well-being. A failure by medical professionals to deal with gallstones, or where routine surgery to resolve the problems goes wrong, is where a patient may have a gallstone medical negligence compensation claim.
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Authorities cracking down on unapproved stem cell “miracle” treatments
Authorities have reportedly been conducting investigations and raiding health clinics that purport to offer “miracle treatments” using stem cells.
Since the discovery of stem cell techniques, doctors and researchers have been overjoyed to use such procedures for regenerative medicine, with stem cells often extracted from bone marrow, blood and fat. However, there are reportedly a small number of institutions who have taken the opportunity to allegedly exploit eager patients by offering “unproven and potentially dangerous treatments” involving stem cell techniques.
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Pregnancy and childbirth injury compensation claims
The birth of a new baby is often very exciting. However, while the arrival of a new baby is meant to bring joy and happiness, pregnancy and childbirth can be a very difficult time for all involved, and there are many complications that can arise.
During child birth, both the mother and the baby can suffer severe trauma which can be caused by medical negligence. If the pregnancy, child birth and the aftercare are not properly managed by medical staff, there may be detrimental consequences.
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Diabetes: diagnosis and treatment failures
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that reportedly affects 3.5 million people in the U.K. alone.
Type one diabetes is where the body is unable to produce any insulin and so the cells are unable to use the blood sugar for energy which creates a build-up of sugar in your blood stream; and Type two diabetes is where either not enough insulin is produced or the insulin is not working properly so the cells can only get access to certain amounts of sugar, meaning that blood sugar levels can build-up.
When effectively managed, people are fine to live a relatively normal life when suffering with diabetes, but diagnosis and treatment is key. As such, any failures to treat or diagnosis the condition can be catastrophic.
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Attempts to tackle opioid crisis by limiting prescriptions
There are plans to reportedly limit the “number and strength” of opioid drugs for first-time users. The decision is based on an attempt to curb a reported “epidemic” where many are thought to be subject to over-prescription of opioids, resulting in reliance and dependency on the powerful drug.
Patients prescribed the drug for the first time are set to only be given a seven-day prescription as part of plans to tackle this growing problem.
Whilst the topic of overusing opioids is hot in America, it’s also being hugely debated here too. In the U.K., we’re also reportedly facing an epidemic of overusing prescription medications.
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Do you know what side effects your over-the-counter medication has?
Whilst medication purchased over-the-counter are generally accepted as safe for use, some regulators worldwide are noting that more and more hospital admissions and deaths are being linked to overuse or misuse of over-the-counter drugs.
These drugs are generally seen as safe when used for their intended purpose, but the issue is that they can sometimes “interact negatively” with other drugs, alcohol and any pre-existing conditions the user may have.
It’s also thought that some people are using over-the-counter medications for purposes that they’re not specifically intended for because they can produce some “benefits”. That being said, this can be fraught with dangers.
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One in ten men over 50 have a heart age of a decade older than their actual age
Public Health England has published a report with an alarming statistic that shows older men are aging faster than their years.
The Heart Age Test indicates that 10% of men aged 50 or over have a heart that is ten years older than they actually are, putting them at higher risks of heart attacks and strokes.
The study was conducted using 1.2 million test results, and 64% of males had an older heart age compared to women. A new government-led campaign is trying to raise awareness of heart health, and with statistics like 7,400 deaths by heart disease and stroke per month, it shouldn’t be too difficult to press the points.
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Doctors are reportedly failing to properly inform patients of side effects for prescription drugs
We put our lives in the hands of doctors, and we expect to be provided with a health service designed to help and protect us.
As we know, however, this is not always the case.
Sometimes, prescription drugs are required to treat certain ailments, but are usually only recommended if the benefits outweigh the risks. Reportedly, there are alarming concerns surrounding doctors allegedly failing to warn patients about the potential side-effects of prescription drugs they are being given.
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Beautician pleads guilty for botched buttock surgeries
Former self-professed beautician, Ana Bertha Diaz Hernandez, has pleaded guilty for performing “reckless” buttock injections on almost a dozen customers in an attempt to enhance their features, even though she was unlicensed.
Hernandez reportedly made around £31,000 for what she called “lamb’s fat” injections. She allegedly smuggled in the unapproved substance from Mexico to inject into her clients’ buttocks to make them bigger. The court heard how Fernandez was aware of “risk of death or serious bodily injury“, and she now faces up to three years in prison for her crimes.
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