We all put our trust in the services of the NHS – when our lives depend on it, they’re the experts we count on to save our souls. So it’s disturbing to hear that, according to sources from the BBC, a leading expert has stated an investigation should take place into 25 hospitals for higher than normal death rates (source).
Leading health expert Professor Brian Jarman has questioned the reasons that a total of 4,600 more patients died in the trusts in question in 2007-08 (with each of the trusts in question having at least 150 more deaths than expected in the year!) than would normally be expected. He also advised that a higher than normal death rate does not necessarily mean the hospital was doing anything wrong, but it could help to identify “wider problems” .
Prof Jarman has identified a number of hospitals with a higher Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) that when combined with other factors, could indicate these wider problems with patient care. In total there are reportedly 25 hospitals with an “extremely high” HSMR, and four or more have had “mortality alerts” triggered; an alert triggered higher than expected deaths for a particular procedure. He has gone on to state that “These are ones which I would think it would be worth investigating.” The data has been sent to the Secretary of State.
Its no secret that the NHS seems to have a lot of problems. In the majority of instances it appears the medical staff and the nurses are fighting a loosing battle; and I personally have the greatest of respect for the work they do. But the fact remains that hospitals and the NHS are liable for any mistakes they make. It has been in the news quite a lot over the last year or so as the number of people claiming against the NHS seems to be at a high. But on the flip side of the coin, medical negligence can lead to some serious and catastrophic injuries and suffering for the victims; and can be fatal. So its important to get the right advice on it.
So when can you make a claim for medical negligence? Well, if you undergo a medical procedure or treatment and the result leaves you injured or suffering (and was not meant to occur) for example – say if a surgeon was not careful enough during surgery, or you are miss-prescribed medication, then its likely you can claim for compensation!
