Case studies

Not all claims relating to infections concern diseases contracted in hospital. In this case, we acted for a client with a known hole in his heart that did not need treatment, but for which he attended regular check-ups because of his increased susceptibility to cardiac infections.

We settled a claim on behalf of a father and his two sons in relation to the death of his wife due to a failure to identify a sub arachnoid haemorrhage in time to prevent further fatal bleeding.

Our client underwent heart surgery after which he was found to be suffering inadequate blood circulation. The hospital failed initially to consider that this might be caused by internal bleeding and it was several hours before this was identified.

In this case, we successfully pursued a claim for the widower of a lady whose GP failed to recognise the signs and symptoms that should have led him to diagnose unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Our client had long-standing hip degeneration and eventually was told she needed a total hip replacement. She had the operation at St Richard’s Hospital in Worthing, East Sussex and initially seemed to be recovering well. However, after her discharge from hospital, she found her pain was increasing and her mobility getting worse. The wound was infected and investigations revealed she had acquired an MRSA infection whilst in hospital at the site of the surgery in her hip.

Our medical negligence solicitors have acted in a number of cases involving prescribing errors, whether arising from the prescription of inappropriate drugs or the wrong dose.

We recently settled a substantial claim for damages against a GP for a client who suffered a delay in the management of an ear infection resulting in permanent visual damage, which should have been avoided if she had been properly assessed.

We successfully settled a claim for a woman from Redhill in Surrey against her GP for failing to act properly on a lump which she feared might be cancer.

We acted for the estate of an elderly gentleman who suffered severe scalding injuries after falling whilst left unattended in the bathroom at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, in January 2011.

Our client had a family history and a number of risk factors for heart attack, including his own weight and high cholesterol level. He attended his GP complaining of chest pains, which the GP treated as reflux oesophagitis, but very shortly after leaving the surgery, our client collapsed in the street suffering a heart attack.

We were approached by the family of Mr Thomas who died aged 81 in July 2009. He was attended at home in Esher, Surrey, by an ambulance crew to take him to hospital. Whilst being transferred to the ambulance, Mr Thomas was physically dropped and struck his head on a step.

Our client was advised by a podiatric surgeon that she needed a tibial tendon augmentation to improve her pain and mobility.