Medical Negligence

Many of us will at some point have visited a doctor, seen a nurse, or have gone to hospital.  In the majority of cases we will be able to walk away after appointments knowing that whatever our problem was, it will clear up in a few days, or with a prescription enabling us to get the medication we need to treat our symptoms.  After a few days or even a few weeks we will be fine and able to get on with our everyday lives.  However, some people do require further treatment that can end up being more serious – e.g. an operation.  When we go for an operation we place our complete trust with the surgeon that is going to undertake the operation.  In many ways, we put our lives in the surgeon’s hands.  Why do we do this?  Well, naturally we want to get better and we realise that this is the only way to get better.  But we also place our trust in the surgeon because of the fantastic reputation our medical facilities hold.  Unfortunately, as The Daily Mail reports, not every operation goes according to plan.

The Daily Mail writes that Michelle Richards, a 43 year old mother, has recently received compensation totalling over £10,000 from the NHS after she had the wrong leg amputated.  The Daily Mail states that Michelle had been diagnosed with a rare bone infection called osteomyeltitis which required her left leg to be amputated to prevent the potentially fatal condition from spreading.  Much to the shock of Michelle, as I can imagine many of you would understand, she was informed after the operation, ‘Sorry there’s been a mistake’, and was informed her right leg had been amputated instead of her left.  As a result, Michelle now has to wear a prosthetic leg.

As was admitted by the hospital in question, amputating the wrong leg of a patient constituted a breach of the duty of care the hospital owes their patients and amounted to medical negligence.  Most of us will only be able to imagine the impact this has had on Michelle’s life, and the distress it has caused her.  If you have similarly had an operation that has not gone according to plan, then it is important that you seek the advice of an injury lawyer with experience in medical negligence claims.  Medical negligence can cause the victim long term distress and other future problems.  As Michelle herself said ‘I went in for the amputation and believe I was making the right choice – I never really questioned it’.  As such she did not expect to have the wrong led amputated and was therefore entitled to compensation.  You similarly could be compensated where you have had an operation that has gone wrong.  To ensure that you get the maximum compensation you deserve, ensure you contact a medical negligence expert within three years of your injury.