A man who has been left with serious brain damage has been awarded £3.2m in damages after “critical delays” during his hospital treatment at Manor Hospital, Walsall, the mirror.co.uk has reported (source).
Doctors at the hospital failed to spot the telltale signs of meningitis when 20 year old Mark Thomas was admitted to hospital at the age of 12. Medical staff only took action a considerable five days later after his parents rushed him back to hospital in severe agony.
The hospital trust admitted liability at Birmingham High Court for the blunders which have left Mark requiring 24 hour care. It goes without saying to say that Mark’s life will never be the same again.
This is an example of a substantial case with a significant payout, where the negligence of the medical staff involved has resulted in the permanent disability of the victim. The failure of the doctors to diagnose the often fatal brain bug is a worst case scenario of negligence in the duty of care the hospital had over their patient.
The telegraph.co.uk reported that the parents of Mark have stated that they hope lessons have been learned, and have expressed their upset that their son will never lead a normal life, with all his ambitions and plans unable to come to fruition.
According to the Chief Executive of the Walsall Hospitals Trust Sue James, Mark was sent home and “unfortunately not recalled” after his test results became available. It sounds like such a simple mistake; but this mistake has left a man with a short term memory of under ten minutes and care requirement for life.
In a hospital, maintaining the duty of care for patients and preventing negligent mistakes is even more significant given the severity of the consequences should an accident or incident occur. It seems that despite the stringent training and regulations the NHS have in place now and at the time of this incident some years ago, mistakes of this proportion are still being made.
Seek careful advice from an expert independent personal injury solicitor should you be involved in an incident of this nature.
Getting the right legal advice in situations where medical negligence has lead to a complete change in life style and quality of life for the victim is essential in getting the justice that is deserved. An independent expert personal injury solicitor with years of experience will provide you with the appropriate and efficient legal representation required.
Cases of this magnitude are often significantly more difficult to run, and are not generally straight forward in nature. Make sure you get the right and honest advice, call us on 0800 634 7575 for free, expert advice on making a claim for compensation.
