If you think you have been the victim of negligent care by a medical professional, you may be entitled to compensation. If you have concerns about the standard of care you received, you can obtain a copy of your medical records. Alternatively, you may wish to instruct a solicitor to do this on your behalf. When pursuing a clinical negligence claim, the burden of proof is on you, the Claimant, to prove your case. The first step in collecting evidence to support your medical negligence claim is obtaining your medical records. Your medical records will provide the most contemporaneous record of t ..read more

As reported by the BBC, an inquiry led by Dr Geraldine Strathdee, is investigating the deaths of 1,500 patients who died whilst under the care of NHS mental health service being provided in Essex. The inquiry was established in January 2021 following concerns raised by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, after the death of two young males whilst under the care of NHS mental health services in Essex. Dr Strathdee and her team will be looking into 21 areas of care provided by the mental health services in Essex, including the management of drug regimes, assessing the risk of patients ..read more

When being treated by a member of staff from a medical body, they owe you a duty of care.  If the care that they provide to you is substandard/unreasonable, negligent treatment may have occurred.  A claim for medical negligence is two-fold and in addition to the Claimant having to prove that negligence occurred, we must also be able to prove that such negligence has caused injury/pain and suffering as a direct consequence of the treatment. During medical procedures there are various factors and recognised risks that have to be considered.  Unfortunately, things can go wrong, and ..read more

The largest maternity scandal to ever hit the NHS has found that poor maternity care through The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust led to 295 avoidable baby deaths or brain damage cases . There has been catastrophic failing over nearly 20 years according to the inquiry led by maternity expert Donna Ockenden.  The final Ockenden report can be found here. https://www.ockendenmaternityreview.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FINAL_INDEPENDENT_MATERNITY_REVIEW_OF_MATERNITY_SERVICES_REPORT.pdf Several mothers also died through failings in medical care.  There was an overzealous ..read more

A Compensation and Redress Scheme for thousands of people affected by the Contaminated Blood Scandal, described as the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, will reportedly be announced within weeks. The Contaminated Blood Scandal in the United Kingdom arose when at least 3,891 people with haemophilia became infected with hepatitis C of whom 1,243 were also infected with HIV, as a result of receiving factor VIII blood products contaminated with the deadly viruses in the 1970s and 1980s. It is also estimated that at least 30,000 NHS patients became ill after receiving the contam ..read more

As reported by Sky News, there were more than 400 “never events” in England between April 2021 and March 2022. At some point in most people’s lives, they will require hospital treatment of some kind, ranging from minor procedures to more serious and complex operations.  Naturally, this causes a lot of anxiety and worry given the risks associated with surgery.  Whilst it is understood some risks of surgery, known as recognised risks, must be accepted and consented to by the patient prior to agreeing to the surgery, sometimes incidents occur which are entirely avoidable and should neve ..read more

Complaints about Medical Treatment If you are not satisfied with the medical treatment that you or a loved one has received, and have suffered an injury which you think could have been avoided, a first port of call for many will be to lodge a complaint. This informal approach for many can be enough to feel like your concerns have been answered.   NHS Hospitals The hospital you would like to complain to will usually have a PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) based in the hospital itself. Its role is to offer confidential advice and support on matters to do with the hospital – includi ..read more

A Consultant Haematologist, previously working at Royal Oldham Hospital, has been convicted of gross negligence manslaughter following a substandard and failed attempt at a bone marrow extraction. Dr Isyaka Mamman, 85 years of age and who had previously lied about his age to avoid retirement, carried out the procedure to such a poor standard that his patient suffered a severe bleed and sadly died as a result. To add to the devastation Dr Mamman caused, it was discovered he had previously caused injuries to other patients in the past whilst carrying out the same procedure, including an incident ..read more

Major amputation is acknowledged as one of the most destructive complications of diabetes and is something that is sadly on the rise. In response, NHS Resolution has published an important report following a thematic review of clinical negligence claims relating to diabetes and lower limb complications in the hope to improve outcomes for patients with diabetes and reduce the number of claims being made. As part of the review 92 claims were looked at, all of which involved patients who had a diagnosis of diabetes. The majority of the claims involved patients who had suffered with a diabetic foo ..read more

For years ambulance services have been under pressure but since 2020 this is an issue regularly reported in the news. The situation with the ambulance service has gone from being a risk of harm to actually being a cause of harm. HSIB (Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch) have suggested that harm is a daily occurrence now.  A report that is frightening for anyone who does or might need the service. Last week the BBC reported on a heart-breaking case of an elderly man in his 90s that was left for hours following 3 calls for an ambulance after he had fallen alone at home. When he was ..read more