Q&A with Karen Hillyer, Chair of the Erb’s Palsy Group
With Erbs Palsy Awareness Week in full swing, we thought now was a good time to interview a lady who is helping to educate and inform about Erb’s Palsy and she kindly gave us some useful insight into how and what running the Erb’s Palsy Group really means. Hi Karen- please tell us about your background and how you…
Concerns Raised as to Fixed Fee Proposals in Clinical Negligence Claims
The Government have announced proposals to impose a cap on recoverable costs in Clinical Negligence cases, and ran a consultation until May 1st. James Thompson is a Solicitor in our Clinical Negligence department and here, he looks at the possible implications. What are the proposals? Currently, if a healthcare provider such as the NHS loses a clinical…
Vaccines stored at incorrect temperatures
Simon Helliwell, a senior Chartered Legal Executive within our Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Team, has recently been instructed in a number of cases involving a Leeds GP surgery which, following a routine inspection by the Care Quality Commission, was found to have stored vaccines at an incorrect temperature- for up to 18 months. Parents…
Hip Replacement Surgery Claims – Ison Harrison Can Help
Hip replacement surgery is one of the most common medical procedures around. It is often seen as a lifeline to the patient and a critical factor in improving a person’s quality of life and ongoing mobility. Unfortunately, while the standards of surgery are generally excellent, problems can occur both privately and through the NHS, and…
Are Bed Sores a Sign of Neglect?
Bed sores (also known as pressure sores) affect millions of people who are admitted to hospital within the United Kingdom every year. They develop as a consequence of pressure being exerted on an area of skin, usually because of a patient’s reduced mobility, causing damage to the skin and the underlying tissue due to a…
Clinical Negligence Case Study: Baby E’s Story
As 2007 drew to a close, Mr and Mrs S were celebrating the birth of their beautiful baby daughter who was perfect in every way. Tragically, this dream was shattered when, having developed mild jaundice which the Doctors failed to treat promptly, the levels of bilirubin in Baby E’s blood stream built up to such…
Ison Harrison Secures Settlement of Over £6.7m In Leeds Clinical Negligence Case
In 2014, Personal Injury Partner, Iain Oliver from Ison Harrison, secured a financial settlement of £3,450,000 for his client, plus additional future payments for nursing care which amount to approximately £3,250,000. Iain has 22 years experience with high value injury claims enabling him to successfully represent hundreds of accident victims, his diligence proving to be of…
Over 1,300 babies left dead or maimed after NHS errors
Today it has been publicised that over £1bn was paid last year by the NHS in compensation to families of babies who died or were left with serious brain injuries due to negligence during childbirth. Over the last decade this sum has been increased by over £488 million. Figures that were obtained by the Times…
NHS Contract Reform: Is the die cast?
The Department of Health has recently published what it calls its “prototype approach” i.e. a more advanced stage of testing of a new possible NHS Dental Contract. As an overview the prototype is supposed to be a blend of capitation, quality and activity payments. Path to Date According to the Department of Health the principles…
Seven year old girl awarded £10m in damages from King’s College Hospital Trust
Eva Totham, was starved of oxygen at birth in 2007 and now suffers from severe cerebral palsy. The compensation pay-out of £10.1m was awarded to cover Eva’s past and future care, as she is now entirely dependent on others for all aspects of day-to-day living. This was also to cover her loss of earnings as it…
CQC: a Fresh Start???
The CQC has published a document entitled “A fresh start for the regulation and inspection of primary care dental services” in which the CQC sets out its “early thinking” regarding a new inspection and monitoring approach for dental practices. This note summarises the key points from that document. Overview The CQC reports that, from the…
How to make a claim for medical negligence
Time limits It is important that that you speak to a solicitor as soon as possible as there are time limits which apply to pursuing a claim. Court Proceedings need to be issued within 3 years of the negligence or within 3 years of the date that you become aware of the negligence. In cases…
Duty of Candour
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced radical changes in how the NHS will deal with medical accidents in England. Under a ‘duty of candour’ proposal healthcare providers must openly disclose when moderate or severe harm occurs as a result of a medical accident, provide an apology along with all relevant information such as medical records…
Medical Negligence in Leeds and Wakefield
Settlements for medical negligence cases in Leeds and Wakefield have cost nearly £45m. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act have shown the extent of damages awarded for clinical negligence between 2010 to 2013. The hospitals treat 1.5m patients annually and are keen to stress the point. However there have been a number of…
Standards of Care in GP Practices
Findings highlight the poor standard of care thousands of patients are forced to endure. The report looked at over 1000 practices, around 12% of UK surgeries, and found failings at 300 of these. In the most serious cases vaccines where found out of date, patients brought their own seats for extensive waiting room times along…
Home Circumcisions present a significant risk
The secretary of the British Association of Paediatric Urologists has expressed concern that people with limited experience are carrying out home circumcisions. Felim Murphy stated “unfortunately children have died in the last number of years in Britain and Ireland from circumcision-related complications.” Although healthcare workers have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission before…
Patients going blind because of delays in treatment
Research found that clinics were over stretched and unable to cope. In a poll of 172 medical staff working in eye clinics, over 80% said their department had insufficient capacity to meet demand, with 37% believing patients are sometimes losing their sight unnecessarily because of delayed treatment, and 4% believe this to be a regular…
Report on NHS England Maternity Services
A recent report by the National Audit Office has uncovered a number of facts about NHS maternity services in England The most concerning fact is that 1 in every 133 babies born die within days of birth or are still born. Although this figure has reduced from previous years it is higher than other areas…
Are our medical records a commodity?
Are our medical records a commodity? GPs are being encouraged by the government to share medical records with so called ‘safe havens’ such as private health care providers and insurers but who will this benefit? Perhaps the simple answer is we just don’t know, however you can be sure that there is significant commercial advantage…
Man awarded £20,000.00 for loss of testicle
A 25 year old man attended A&E with severe pain in his testicle. He was given pain relief and told that since there were several possible causes an ultrasound scan would be performed early that afternoon. The scan was not carried out until the following day, when testicular torsion was diagnosed. Due to the delay…
Elderly lady awarded £35,000.00 following loss of useful vision
A 76 year old lady was referred to hospital due to a deterioration in her vision, which was already restricted. There was a two month delay in making the correct diagnosis, and a further delay of nine months in beginning treatment. In the meantime the deterioration continued so she lost almost all useful vision and…
Girl awarded £95,000 after losing sight in one eye
9 year old girl attended A&E after sustaining an injury to her eye. Following an examination her parents were told that they surface of the eye was scratched and were given ointment to apply. Three days later she returned to A&E where it was confirmed that the eye had been perforated. She had emergency surgery…
Case Settled – Vision restriction
76 year old lady referred to hospital due to deterioration in her vision, which was already restricted. There was a two month delay in making the correct diagnosis, and a further delay of nine months in beginning treatment. In the meantime the deterioration continued so she lost almost all useful vision and was no longer…
Family awarded £21,500 after man dies of haemothorax following broken ribs
A 44 year old man saw his GP a few days after being discharged from hospital following treatment for broken ribs. Although he was complaining of difficulty breathing and severe pain the GP failed to listen to or examine his chest. The following day he collapsed and died in his mother’s car on the way…
Diabetic awarded £15,000 after having his big toe amputated
50 year old diabetic man developed an infection in his big toe. His GP failed to prescribe antibiotics and delayed in referring him to hospital until amputation was unavoidable. This case has recently been settled by an experienced member of our Clinical Negligence team. For similar cases, or any other types of Clinical Negligence claims,…
Contraceptive Implants hit by bad press
It has recently been revealed that more than 500 women in the UK using the Implanon contraceptive implant became pregnant which is understood to be 99% safe. A number of those women subsequently miscarried. Others elected to terminate the pregnancy and many have experienced relationship breakdown and psychological problems. It is estimated that over 1…