The Medical Negligence Blog

GP Negligence – know your rights!

When we are feeling ill or have a medical concern, our first point of call is normally our GP in order to ease our worries and remedy any illness we have with medication or referrals. As our GP is a person who we trust to help us, we generally expect them to always get it right.

However, doctors are only human; which means that, sometimes, GP’s get it wrong, which is commonly known as medical negligence.

We expect a certain standard of care from our GP’s, but if they fail to meet this standard, it can have serious life altering consequences for patients.
Read More

DVT (blood clots) and Pulmonary Embolism

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that often begins in your leg, and moves its way up to your lungs and blocks blood vessels. It can damage the lungs and other organs that could lead to heart failure, due to lack of oxygen in the blood.

Although DVT can happen for no apparent reason it’s generally linked to people being immobile for a long period of time like passengers on long haul flights or being bedridden. Pregnant women are also at risk from DVT, and it has been linked in some cases with women who take the contraceptive pill. People who have suffered heart failure or cancer are also at risk from DVT as well.
Read More

Appendicitis Misdiagnosis & Negligent Compensation Claims

Appendicitis is where the appendix becomes inflamed and painful. If appendicitis is not treated, the appendix can burst, which can be life threatening. Appendicitis can be caused by a blockage which can then cause the appendix to become inflamed and lead to ruptures.

In order to treat appendicitis, the patient will normally need to undergo an operation to remove the appendix. Appendicitis needs to be spotted and treated quickly to reduce further complications that can be life threatening.

But what happens if something goes wrong with your treatment or diagnosis, and this causes significant medical problems?
Read More

Compartment Syndrome compensation claims

Compartment syndrome occurs where there is a large amount of pressure that can be caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles, known as a muscle compartment.

The muscles in the arms and legs are in groups surrounded by blood vessels and nerves that are all wrapped in tissue. The pressure that is caused by compartment syndrome affects how the muscles and tissues function. This can cause permanent tissue damage.

The symptoms of compartment syndrome depend on whether it is acute or chronic compartment syndrome. Given how serious it is, it’s a problem that should be diagnosed and dealt with by medical professionals as quickly as possible.
Read More

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust fined over patient death

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has been fined due to safety failings after the death of a patient who drowned during a canoeing activity event.

Mansoor Elahi was 31 from Rochadale. He was an inpatient in Birch Hill Hospital when he drowned at Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale, on 5^th of September 2013.

Mr Elahi was taking part in a rafted canoeing activity that had been pre-arranged by an outdoor activity centre working in partnership with Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. During this activity he removed his buoyancy aid and jumped into the water in an attempt to end his life.
Read More

Infection after surgery compensation advice

Your skin acts as a barrier for infection – but when a patient undergoes surgery, there is a chance of contracting an infection from open wounds.

These infections occur on the body where the surgery took place, and with any surgery, it’s important to know that there is always a chance of an infection afterwards.

Infections can occur just in the area of the skin where the incision was made; beneath the incision in the tissue or muscle; or it can be serious and affect organs or other parts of the body. While most infections can be cleared up with antibiotics, some can be serious, particularly if left untreated. Particularly if an infection is caused by medical negligence then a patient has a right to pursue a claim for compensation.
Read More

Delayed Diagnosis Compensation Claims

A delayed diagnosis can have a huge effect on both the victim and their loved ones and in some cases can mean the difference between life or death. It can also be the difference between whether a person end ups permanently disabled, and what treatment they might have to undergo.

A delayed diagnosis can cause prolonged pain and suffering, potential future cost for both the victim and their family, and further medical treatment that could have been avoided. All of these things can have a detrimental effect both on the victim of a delayed diagnoses and their family.
Read More

Pharmacy mistakenly prescribes schizophrenia medication to 60-year-old Mum

A west Yorkshire mum was mistakenly given medication to treat schizophrenia instead of medication to treat restless leg syndrome that she had sought medical advice for.

M Manning Pharmacy in Leeds gave the 60-year-old Mum the anti-psychotic drug risperidone which she unknowingly took for more than a month before the error was spotted. Upon contacting the pharmacy she was advised to refrain from taking any further doses of the medication and instructed to seek medical attention.
Read More