Medical professionals owe you a duty of care. However, when you receive substandard service it’s likely that something will go wrong for you. In this situation though, it’s possible to make a medical negligence claim. With a claim, you have to provide evidence that the care you received from a doctor was substandard and strayed from normal competent procedures. If successful, you could receive compensation to help you deal with the aftermath. Below, we explore some successful claims.
Seven-figure settlement following weight loss surgery
A woman received more than £2.7 million in settlement from her claim from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust after she suffered an extreme nutritional deficiency following weight loss surgery.
After the surgery, the woman’s condition deteriorated for a month – she was ill 15 times a day but was told to stick to her dietary plan by the hospital. Unfortunately, her nutritional deficiency was only discovered after many more tests and by this point the damage was irreversible. The woman was left with a number of balance and sight issues. The resulting claim led to £2.7m being awarded and the hospital issuing an apology.
Six-figure sum following cancer misdiagnosis
A woman in her 60s began to experience lower back pain and visited her GP. A spinal surgeon eventually diagnosed her with a cyst on her spine that was said to be benign. However, the woman began to experience bladder and bowel problems and returned a year later for further advice – no further tests were taken, however.
Eventually, four years after the initial diagnosis, the woman was diagnosed at a new hospital with a rare form of cancer that required radiotherapy, resulting in painful rib fractures. Had the cancer been discovered earlier, she could have avoided radiotherapy and her surgery wouldn’t have been as extensive. On top of this, many of the initial investigations on her bowel and bladder were unnecessary and uncomfortable. As a result, the woman was able to make a medical negligence claim and was eventually awarded £100,000.
When you suffer from medical negligence it can be an overwhelming time. Not only do you have to deal with the physical pain, but it can feel stressful putting together a claim. However, by working with experienced medical negligence professionals you can give yourself real peace of mind.
