Pages On: Medical Negligence

GP services under pressure

Posted: 15 March 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis, NHS Claims

Chiefs within the NHS in England and Wales are claiming that patients could be facing potential harm due to their GP’s lack of consulting time. They are claiming that due to time and financial constraints within the health service, patients could become increasingly misdiagnosed or mis-prescribed medicines. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, GP leader of the British Medical Association, has stated that GPs are having to rush through consultations in order to meet targets and has described the situation as potentially dangerous. 68% of GPs found workload increasingly unmanageable In the online survey that…

Two midwives responsible for baby death

Posted: 2 March 2016

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust have accepted the findings in a report commissioned by NHS England, that two midwives should be held responsible for the death of a baby six hours after her birth. The report was carried out by the External Midwifery Supervisory Review after years of campaigning by the baby’s parents. Kate Stanton-Davies died just hours after being born in March 2009.  She was born with anaemia and was “pale and floppy”.  The report raised “serious concerns” about the fitness of the two midwives to practice, neither of whom had…

73% drop in mental health patients in police cells

Posted: 1 March 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A 73 percent drop in mental health patients being locked up in police cells since January 2015 has been announced by Devon and Cornwall Police. It has been revealed that police forces in the area have made the decision to take people detained with mental health issues to Accident and Emergency wards instead of locking them up in cells. This is causing strain between the two services as Accident and Emergency departments are already running at capacity.  Head of A&E department at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Dr Anne Hicks, has said…

Mental health patients must receive care closer to home

Posted: 16 February 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

In a report published following an Independent Commission chaired by ex-NHS chief executive Lord Crisp, it has been stated that the current practice of mentally ill patients having to travel long distances is unacceptable. It has recommended that from October of 2017, patients with acute mental issues must receive care closer to home. It identified around 500 patients in England who are having to travel more than 50km (31 Miles) every month for treatment due to a lack of acute inpatient services or beds being available locally. It said that some of those…

More cash for brain cancer research e-petition launched

Posted: 9 February 2016

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

An e-petition has been started by Maria Lester in an appeal to lobby for more cash to be made available for research into brain cancer. The petition is being supported by Brain Tumour Research and the Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and comes following the death of former Loughborough Grammar School pupil, Michael Smith in November of last year.  27-year-old Michael lost his fight against cancer after battling with the disease for two and a half years. During that time, he seemed to be reacting well to chemo and radiotherapy, however he…

Sir Patrick Stewart attempt to stop A&E closure

Posted: 31 January 2016

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence

Sir Patrick Stewart has joined in the campaign to stop the Accident and Emergency department of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary being closed down. In proposals health chiefs are considering demolishing the hospital as part of a plan to revamp Huddersfield’s health services. It is proposed that a new medical facility be built in the town, but that A&E services should be moved to the Calderdale Royal Hospital in neighbouring Halifax. Sir Patrick, who was born in the town, has tweeted from his home in Los Angeles his disapproval of the plan. In his tweet,…

Consultant misinterprets x-ray

Posted: 31 December 2015

Posted in: Hip Injuries, Medical Negligence

A Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board consultant has been told to “reflect on the case” after he misinterpreted an x-ray of a patient’s fractured hip. The consultant, who remains unnamed, has been told to reflect on his errors after he misread a series of poor quality x-ray pictures. He has also been ordered to provide the man’s wife with a detailed account of his reasoning behind changing his mind at the last minute.   The woman, who remains unnamed, complained to the Public Services Ombudsman about the care and treatment…

Pensioner’s poor care causes death

Posted: 16 December 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The family of a pensioner who died after being admitted to a north Wales hospital with an infected wound announced that something went “drastically wrong” with his care. 81-year-old Alan Walker from Flintshire died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in January 2014 after being admitted to the hospital with a skin infection. Mr Walker had been recovering from a cancer operation when the infection developed. In a statement released by Mr Walker’s widow, Irene, doctors said that food had entered his blood stream, which then caused a heart attack. Toxic shock…

Weekend babies ‘significantly’ higher chance of death

Posted: 29 November 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

In a study published in the British Medical Journal has revealed that babies born in English hospitals at the weekend have a ‘significantly’ higher chance of dying than those born during the week.  The study looked at the rates of stillbirths or deaths within seven days from 2010-12 and comprised more than 1.3 million births. The result showed that around 7.1 deaths per 1000 babies born at weekends was 7% higher than babies born on weekdays. The team from Imperial College London estimated that there would be 770 fewer deaths…

Only 88% being admitted in 4-hour A&E target

Posted: 29 November 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

In a seven-week study carried out by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine it has emerged that an average of 88% of patients attending Accident and Emergency units across the UK are being treated or admitted within the four-hour window. The target is 95% and College president, Dr Cliff Mann, has predicted that ‘worse is yet to come’. The data was gathered from around 40 trusts in the UK, and represents around a fifth of the trusts in the UK. The trusts also reported difficulties in discharging patients due to a lack…

‘Serious concerns’ over Wales’ midwives

Posted: 26 October 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence

Following a recent review of the midwifery system in north Wales, a number of “serious concerns” have been raised with regards to education and supervision. The “extraordinary review” was carried out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in July after it was decided that Bangor University withdraw their students from Glan Clwyd Hospital after the Health Inspectorate Wales flagged up some issues. The NMC review looked at all areas of the midwifery service, closely examining the supervision procedures. It found that not all ‘annual supervisory reviews’, which ensure that…

Health board is ‘not safe’

Posted: 25 October 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A previous member of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has recently stated that the board is “not safe” after it was told that it must remain under special measures for a further two years. Rev Hywel Meredydd Davies was an independent board member until March 2015 and commented on the board’s failing after it was placed under Welsh Government control this summer. After visiting the hospital earlier this week, a letter was composed by the Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones stating that safety at the board was not an…

3,000 dental patients being contacted after dentist re-uses equipment on them

Posted: 20 October 2015

Posted in: Dental Negligence, Medical Negligence

A total of 3,000 dental patients are being contacted following concerns over a Cardiff dentist’s infection control procedures. Mark Roberts, who worked at Splott Road Dental Surgery from 1989 to February 2015, was found by a whistleblower to be re-using equipment between patients. The dentist admitted that he had re-used syringe cartridges and root canal surgery files, and said that he deeply regretted his care ‘lapses’. Health bosses are now contacting all 3,000 of his former patients. Cardiff and the Vales University Health Board and Public Health Wales have opened…

Introduction of colour-coded 999 call system

Posted: 2 October 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Where meeting targets has been a long-lasting problem for the Welsh Ambulance Service, a new system has been put in place to put the most in-need patients first. The new system has put an end to emergency response time targets, only implementing them in life-threatening cases. A trial of this new system has been put in place for one year to determine whether or not this is a more effective way of dealing with emergency calls. Instead of the old response-time targets, each individual call will now be graded –…

Inquest unable to determine death of Downs Syndrome patient

Posted: 25 September 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

An inquest into the death of 27-year-old Downs Syndrome patient Jamie Appleby, from Denbigh, Denbighshire, has been unsuccessful in determining the cause of his death. Mr Appleby died at the Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan in November 2005 two days after he was admitted. It was heard that Mr Appleby’s condition had significantly deteriorated in the week leading up to his death after he suffered a stroke. Coupled with declining respiratory pneumonia and clots within the lungs, it is believed that this “exacerbated his terminal decline” and caused his subsequent…

NHS waiting times tripled

Posted: 30 August 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

According to figures obtained by Plaid Cymru, the number of patients being forced to wait longer than 36 weeks to receive treatment through the NHS has tripled in the last four years alone. The data showed that the number of patients had risen from 7,434 in September 2011 to 25,373 in June 2015. Plaid Cymru’s shadow health spokeswoman, Elin Jones, described the findings as “disappointing” and “unacceptable”. The report showed that the percentage of patients waiting a minimum of 26 weeks increased from 8.5% of all patients to 15.2%. The…

Misdiagnosis widower wins compensation

Posted: 22 August 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

A widower from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion has been awarded compensation for the loss of his wife after her cancer was misdiagnosed as an ear infection. Kathleen Howe, aged 67, died on 29 July 2012 after being wrongly diagnosed with otitis extern, commonly known as ‘swimmer’s ear’. Following her death, an investigation found that there was a 90-100% chance that she would have survived if Bronglais Hospital staff had correctly diagnosed her symptoms. Mrs Howe initially visited her GP after experiencing dizziness. Having previously worked at Bronglais Hospital as a domestic assistant…

University health board multi-million pound payouts

Posted: 15 August 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that a University Health Board in Wales has paid out over £9million in personal injury negligence claims. It was found that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board made a number of “serious” mistakes that led to large compensation packages being awarded to claimants in the last year. Errors included a swab being left inside a patient after surgery and a procedure being carried out on a patient’s wrong body part. Details of the individual payouts were released by the director of corporate services, Chris…

‘Poor’ stroke care in north Wales

Posted: 28 July 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

According to a patient watchdog, north Wales is a “poor place” to suffer a stroke. These comments follow a recent report highlighting substandard stroke care in the region’s three main hospitals. The report states that ambulances should be getting stroke patients to hospitals far quicker, there should be a quicker hand over to hospital staff, and the care provided within the first 72 hours should be improved. North Wales Community Health Council has demanded that changes are made immediately after a study showed “bad” levels of acute stroke care provided…

100-day plans to turn around failing health service

Posted: 25 June 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Following increased complaints about the standard of health care provided across north Wales, Simon Dean has requested staff to draw up 100-day plans to turn the health service around. Simon Dean took over after the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was placed under special measures over management failings. There were also reports of “institutional abuse” of mental health patients at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Mr Dean said that he was going to make it his sole aim to stimulate vast improvement in the health services provided across north Wales. He said…

Doctors bullied over patient safety concerns

Posted: 24 June 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

According to a recent report by the British Medical Association, hospital doctors face bullying and harassment when they raise patient safety concerns. The report surveyed more than 500 doctors across Wales, with just less than 60% saying they had raised a concern in the previous three months. Of that 60%, more than 60% noted that they had suffered harassment as a result. The BMA survey was sent out to around 3,000 members of health staff, including junior doctors, consultants and specialists, between March and May of this year. Only around…

Widow wins compensation over 3-hour wait

Posted: 9 June 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A widow has been awarded £1,000 in compensation after her dying husband was forced to wait for 3 hours before being seen by a doctor. The health board offered its sincerest apologies to the widow and her family, and paid her £1,000 after the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales said that the board failed to ensure there would be out-of-hours GP cover at the time of the man’s requirement. The man died in July 2013. It was heard that the man was receiving end of life palliative care at home…

86 reported care home failings

Posted: 31 May 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) disciplinary panel has proven a total of 86 care failings to be true. Six nurses have been recognised as responsible for the failings, who treated vulnerable patients in Caerphilly council between 2004 and 2006. The failings range from infection treatment delays to a failure to prevent bed sores. All of the failings have been recognised in relation to nine patients at the Brithdir Care Home, near Bargoed. The disciplinary panel is yet to determine the consequences of these failings for the responsible nurses: Rachel…

Hospital criticised over food hygiene

Posted: 27 May 2015

Posted in: Food Poisoning, Medical Negligence

A community hospital in Denbighshire has been criticised for its one out of five star food hygiene rating. A recent inspection of Denbigh Infirmary, run by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, described the food hygiene measures as “abysmal”, and stated that “major improvement” was necessary. A spokesperson from the health board said that they were “very disappointed” with the rating and agreed that changes had to be made. The Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar AM, said that these findings were truly appalling and said that no…

Father released from hospital “too soon” commits suicide

Posted: 2 May 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The son of a man who had just been informed that he was terminally ill, has told an inquest that he believes that his father, Mr Richard Middleton aged 83 from Aberystwyth, was released from hospital too soon. He also claims that not enough home support was offered to Mr Middleton, who subsequently took his own life as he couldn’t find a way to cope with his situation.  Mr Middleton was released into the care of his 86 year-old wife in November of 2014, and was found drowned in the River…

Former midwife accused of baby deaths

Posted: 2 May 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A hearing expected to last until 15 May is underway to investigate the actions of former midwife, Marie Ratcliffe, and their contribution to the deaths of 2 new born babies. Elleanor Bennett died in 2004 and Alex Davey-Brady in 2008.  The accused also accepts more than 60 additional allegations which include failure to seek doctors’ assistance, failure to adequately monitor mothers and babies during labour and failure to document her actions. She denies, however, attempting to cover-up the mistakes and any effort to “conceal the truth”. Reading out a letter from…

40,000 hours of ambulance delays

Posted: 9 March 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

The Welsh Ambulance Service believes that patients could be at risk due to a five-fold increase in delays faced by ambulance crews outside of hospitals. Figures revealed that around 40,000 hours were “lost” in 2014 because of “handover delays” – a worrying increase from the 8,000 hours lost in 2008. The report highlighted a number of problem factors contributing to the issue, yet the ambulance service’s chairman said that these “long-standing and complex problems” were now being tackled. Any wait in an ambulance outside of a hospital longer than 15…

Family awarded compensation for operation leading to mother’s death

Posted: 3 March 2015

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The family of a woman who suffered a severe brain injury in hospital has been awarded compensation for their suffering. 62-year-old Margaret Parsons was being treated in the University Hospital of Wales for coronary heart disease when the incident happened. Following her heart surgery, Mrs Parsons complained of breathing difficulties because of phlegm in her throat. Hospital staff failed to recognise this as a cause for concern. It was found that as a result of staff failing to clear the mucus from her airways, her airways became obstructed. She then suffered a…

Call to rethink ambulance targets

Posted: 27 February 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

The head of the Welsh ambulance service has called for the target response times for the most serious accidents to be rethought. As it currently stands, the national target to reach category A life-threatening calls is 8 minutes.  After the Welsh ambulance service saw a slight improvement in their figures over the last month, which had been the worst on record, the chief executive of the service said that these should be reconsidered. “does not make a difference” In January crews hit the 8-minute target 48.5% of time, yet the…

A&E service unacceptable

Posted: 19 February 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Recently released figures have revealed that the number of people who spent over 12 hours in A&E in Wales is the highest since records began in 2012. The figures, which were released in January, highlighted that the waiting time problem had affected over 3,000 patients. A Welsh government spokesman defended the service provided by emergency units, saying that there had been a rapid increase in patient numbers. The figures revealed that a total of 73,199 people attended accident and emergency departments across Wales last month. The figure of 82.3% is an…

Questions concerning ambulance response times

Posted: 11 February 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Questions have been asked about the response times of ambulances, and ambulance treatment standards in general, at the inquest into the death of a six-year-old girl. Jasmine Lapsley, from Liverpool, died while on a family holiday at Morfa Nefyn, Gwynedd. It was believed that she choked on a grape, but had to wait sixteen minutes for an ambulance to arrive – double the national response time target. Jasmine was treated by paramedics at the scene of the accident before being flown 20 miles to Bangor Hospital by an RAF helicopter.…

Inquiry plea over hospital queues

Posted: 1 February 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

MP Daniel Kawczynski has called for an investigation to be carried out into the impact of delays at Welsh hospitals on NHS England. This follows reports of patients being taken from Wales to Shrewsbury because of long queues for treatment. Mr Kawczynski said that this is putting too much pressure on hospital beds at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The Shrewsbury and Atcham Conservative MP called for a Department of Health investigation to be carried out to assess the extra pressure this is putting on NHS England. Figures released last summer…

Worst A&E waiting times since 2009

Posted: 18 January 2015

Posted in: Medical Negligence

New figures have revealed that the proportion of people waiting over the four-hour waiting time target is the highest level since October 2009. It was found that only 81% of patients were treated within the national waiting time in December, whereas the target is 95%. The Welsh government said that an extra £40m funding would be needed to tackle the issue. The Welsh Conservatives blamed Labour ministers in Cardiff for running the Welsh health service “into the ground”.  The Welsh government defended the figures, saying that it had had the…

Slowest ambulance times since 2011

Posted: 31 December 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

New figures have revealed that the number of ambulances making the target response times have fallen to the lowest level in three years. The Welsh Ambulance Service reached 51% of urgent emergency responses within eight minutes, 14 percentage points lower than the 65% national target. In October, 55.5% of called ambulances reached the scene within the time target, whereas October 2013 was the last time the service met the 65% target. The figures, which were released on Tuesday 30 December, showed that the calls made in November were up by…

Care home scalding death ‘accidental’

Posted: 18 December 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The death of 88-year-old Beatrice Morgan, who suffered burns to 18% of her body because of a scalding bath, has been recorded as accidental. A care assistant at the nursing home had been running the bath while two other carers prepared Mrs Morgan. Nicky Heaps, who had been working at nursing homes for around ten years before moving to work at Greencroft, told the hearing that she had not been provided with any formal training at the nursing home. It was heard that she had recorded the temperature reading of 38 degrees…

Families await inquest results following kidney deaths

Posted: 4 December 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The families of two men are still waiting to hear why both men died after being given kidneys infected with a meningitis-causing parasitic worm during transplant procedures. Robert Stuart (67) and Darren Hughes (42) were given the infected organs in Cardiff in 2013 from a donor who died from meningitis. Prof Christopher Watson said that no one could have anticipated this tragic outcome. Prof Christopher Watson was a member of a three-person panel arranged to review the case of the two deaths. He told the panel that personally he would not…

Woman sues over delay in diagnosis

Posted: 25 November 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

A terminally ill woman is suing the NHS after being forced to wait five months to be seen after being given an ‘urgent’ referral by her GP. 35-year-old Katie Maytum, a mother of two, was suspected of having cancer after she found a lump in her breast in 2010, aged 31. Her GP made an urgent referral for her to be seen by a consultant at the local hospital, but she had to wait five months to be seen. Official regulations from NICE – the National Institute for Health and…

Two deaths following kidney operation

Posted: 15 November 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Two men have died after undergoing kidney transplants from the same donor. It was discovered that the donor’s kidneys, and other organs, had already become infected with a parasitic worm. Robert Stuart, from Cardiff, and Darren Hughes, from Bridgend, died from the infection just under a year ago.  An inquest into their deaths will be held on Tuesday of next week (18 November). 67-year-old Mr Stuart and 42-year-old Mr Hughes had both undergone kidney transplants at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff last year. They both died of a…

Health staff suspended following care concerns

Posted: 29 October 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Medical staff at the mental health ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire have been suspended following a recent inquiry. Concerns about the care provided in the Tawel Fan ward were raised in December of last year, and has been closed since. A total of eight nurses were suspended from their positions, with a further four moved to other duties in the hospital. Two doctors are also working under restrictions. The inquiry was carried out following numerous complaints concerning the care standards maintained by the ward.  The Betsi Cadwaladr University…

Child death following ambulance delay

Posted: 24 October 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

After a three-year-old girl died of respiratory problems following a house fire, her family have demanded answers as to why an ambulance did not arrive sooner. The fire broke out in the family’s home in Bryn Gorwel in Carmarthen on the 15th of July. 3-year-old Angel Smith’s parents both survived the accident, after Mrs Smith was rescued with her daughter by a firefighter and Mr Smith jumped from a window. It was heard that several people attempted to resuscitate Angel before an ambulance came over half an hour later. MP for Carmarthen…

Expectant mother sent home “in agony”

Posted: 4 October 2014

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A mother-to-be was sent home from hospital “in agony” only a couple of days before her baby died.  Amanda Skyes had been rushed into hospital during labour, but was told by doctors that she could not be induced, as she was not ten days over her due date.  Ms Skyes said in a statement that she felt “concerned” about being at home, having been discharged from hospital with paracetamol for the pain. The following day Ms Skyes went into labour and was rushed to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan. Midwives told…

Patient died after care home scalding

Posted: 28 September 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Leg Injuries, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A patient at a care home in North East Wales died in 2012 after being lowered into a scalding bath. 88-year-old Beatrice Morgan, a former nurse herself, had been staying at the Greencroft Residential Home when the accident happened. She suffered severe burns to 18% of her body at the care home in Deeside. She died shortly after. It was heard at Flintshire Magistrates’ Court that Mrs Morgan suffered burn injuries to her lower legs, upper body and left arm after being lowered into the scalding hot bath by care…

Ambulance station cleanliness criticised

Posted: 30 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A recent inspection of Cwmbwrla Ambulance Station reported that it required a deep clean at the very least. The condition of the station was criticised by members of the health watchdog Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Community Health Council, branding the station as “poor” and in need of a “deep clean”. The inspectors’ findings were raised in a report to the organisation’s executive committee, who then held a meeting at Cimla Hospital.  The key areas of discussion were the station’s state of repair, infection control and general cleanliness. A Welsh Ambulance Service…

Ambulance service continues to miss targets

Posted: 28 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

The Welsh Ambulance Service has again failed to meet its target of reaching 65% of life-threatening incidents within eight minutes. As a result, the service is encouraging patients to seek other forms of transport to hospital, such as taxi or car. This scheme has already been piloted in south east Wales, with low priority patients using other forms of transport to get to hospital. Following months of failing to meet the national response time target, July still fell short with only 58.3% of potentially life-threatening incidents reached within eight minutes. Alongside…

Death prompts ambulance increase

Posted: 24 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The death of a young girl in Gwynedd has prompted the ambulance service to reevaluate its staffing levels in rural areas. The six-year-old girl died from chocking while on holiday with her family. The Welsh Ambulance Service sent two community first responders who arrived within 16 minutes – double the eight-minute response time target – but they were unable to save her. Jasmine Lapsley was on holiday with her family in Morfa Nefyn when she started to choke at 20:30 on Tuesday.  Emergency services were contacted immediately and sent two…

Care home ‘crisis’ in Wales

Posted: 18 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A campaigner has called for urgent action to be taken to encourage nurses into Wales’ independent care sector before the situation becomes a ‘crisis’. Mario Kreft, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said that the severity of staff shortages is quickly becoming a ‘crisis’, with the pressure on staff and hospital beds turning into a major problem. He raised this concern after two care homes were recently forced to close in Wales as a result of staff shortages and recruitment problems. Mr Kreft said that recent recruitment problems have seen…

Ethnic minorities missing out on care

Posted: 11 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A cancer charity has revealed that patients of an ethnic minority are not receiving adequate care in Wales. Marie Curie Cancer Care found that factors such as language barriers and dietary requirements were getting in the way of people of an ethnic minority receiving the end-of-life care they require.  The charity compiled a report to highlight the inequality of care in Cardiff. With over 15% of Cardiff’s population made up of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities (BAME), the charity said that the issue had to be addressed immediately. The…

Long hosptial operation waits targeted

Posted: 6 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

The NHS has been ordered to tackle long operation waiting times by prioritising patients that have been awaiting routine treatment for longer than they should have. The official target aims to see more than 100,000 procedures being carried out during the summer months, prioritising those that have waited longer than 18 weeks. There are currently around 200,000 in that position, with 65,000 having waited for over half a year, and 500 for more than a year. Despite this new plan to speed up operation waiting times, ministers said that the…

Ambulance stuck in pothole with patient for four hours

Posted: 1 August 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Pothole Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

An ambulance in Neath was stuck for four hours with a patient onboard. The ambulance had picked up the patient from a back lane in Neath when it became stuck in a “precarious position” before being hauled free four hours later. A second ambulance came to take the patient to hospital while the ambulance had to await the assistance of a tractor to haul it out. The accident happened on the way to the Morriston Hospital after an ambulance was sent for a woman that was seriously ill and required immediate…

Hospital trust services ‘inadequate’

Posted: 25 June 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A trust which runs four hospitals in Cumbria and Lancaster has been labeled “inadequate” after a health watchdog highlighted some of its failing services.  The Care Quality Commission found problems relating to the safety, leadership and acute services of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT). The document was in fact leaked, so the Trust are refusing to comment on the findings until the final draft is published next month, which could contain some changes. The trust did admit that the last year had been “challenging” for…

84-year-old dies as a result of undiagnosis

Posted: 29 May 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A coroner has ruled that the death of an 84-year-old man was due to undiagnosed rib fractures during his time at hospital.  George Lonsdale was taken to Nevill Hall hospital after falling at his home in Monmouth in June of last year.  The coroner ruled that his death 12 hours after arriving at hospital was because of a haemothorax, blood within the chest, which was caused by his undiagnosed fractured ribs. At the inquest hearing, which took place at Gwent Coroner’s Court in Newport, the son of Mr Lonsdale, Brent…

Concerns over poor patient care in cardiac services

Posted: 22 May 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Following a recent review by a panel of UK leading heart specialists, concerns have been raised about the “poor service patients are receiving”. The review was carried out across four district hospitals in mid and west Wales.  It looked at the hospitals’ internal documents and carried out interviews of the health board’s staff, including cardiology consultants.  The Royal College of Physicians recently suggested the formation of a specialist cardiac “hub” at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.  This would mean the reduction of cardiac services at three other hospitals.  After the report…

Unannounced hospital spot-checks to happen in Wales

Posted: 15 May 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A recent report has highlighted major failings in the care of elderly patients at two Welsh hospitals. The report followed the neglect of Lilian Williams (82) who died as a result of poor treatment at both of the hospitals.  The hospitals, run by Abertawe Bro Morganwg University Health Board, seriously neglected Mrs Williams during her treatment, which has prompted unannounced spot-checks to be carried out at hospitals across Wales. Sarah Rochira told BBC Radio Wales that the problems going undetected in the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend and Neath Port…

Complaints to Wales’ health board soar

Posted: 5 May 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

New figures have revealed a significant increase in patient complaints made to the health boards in Wales. The figures, which were obtained by Plaid Cymru, showed that between 2009-10 and 2012-13 complaints increased by more than 40%. Plaid Cymru health spokeswoman Elin Jones collected the data through a Freedom of Information request. It was found that Cardiff and Vale University Health Board received 7,200 complaints since 2008, while Hywel Dda Local Health Board had 5,665. The Welsh government said that the increase in complaints is not purely negative, believing that…

Hospital death inquest granted

Posted: 20 April 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Almost a year after the death of a disabled man who died in a routine operation, his family have been informed that they can have an inquest.  51-year-old Timothy Cowen from Caergwrle, Flintshire, died last May following a gall bladder operation.  After the family was informed of the cause of death, an independent post mortem examination found this to be incorrect.  Betsi Cadwaladr health board apologised to Mr Cowen’s family for the delay in the investigation and for not keeping them rightly informed. Mr Cowen suffered with many medical conditions…

Infection prevention failure caused baby deaths

Posted: 25 March 2014

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The Health Watchdog has found that an E. coli outbreak at Swansea’s Singleton Hospital, which killed two babies, was most likely down to an infection control failure. The outbreak happened in November 2011, involving a mother, her two twins and another baby. All three babies and the twins’ mother were found to have the same EBSL strain of E. coli.  The neo-natal unit was closed for a month following the outbreak. All three babies were born premature on the 31st of October through a caesarean section operation, and all required…

Family blames doctors for death

Posted: 15 March 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The family of a man who died as a result of poor treatment has complained that the General Medical Council are refusing to take action against a number of the doctors responsible for his poor care, and subsequent death. 30-year-old Carl Nolan from Rhyl suffered from serious liver disease, which he was not informed of until 7 years after the tests were carried out. The family believes that not enough is being done by the GMC, who are refusing to provide them with any answers concerning Mr Nolan’s appalling treatment.…

Family call for inquiry of hospitals under a south Wales health board

Posted: 12 March 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The family of a pensioner who died after treatment at Singleton and Morriston hospitals in Swansea have requested that a full care review be carried out of all the hospitals under the control of the health board.  64-year-old Margaret Hoskins was treated in two hospitals under the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (ABMUHB), which admitted that some aspects of her care had not up to the health board’s standards. Mrs Hoskins’ son-in-law, Graham Lucas, has demanded that a full care review be carried out across all of the health…

Museum boss awarded £500,000

Posted: 3 March 2014

Posted in: Bus Accidents, Knee Injury, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims, Public Transport

A museum boss has been awarded £500,000 in compensation for the trauma she experienced when paramedics were seventeen minutes late to reach her after dislocating her knee on the bus home. 50-year-old Ceri Leigh worked for the National History Museum organising exhibitions.  In 2008 she dislocated her knee when getting on a bus at Wimbledon Station after getting trapped between two seats.  Mrs Leigh suffered extreme pain and had to be held down by other passangers to prevent further injury.  As a result, Mrs Leigh now suffers with post-traumatic stress…

Acne medication left girl partially blind

Posted: 9 February 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence

26-year-old Rachel Yeo was left partially blind after being prescribed Minocycline for her acne.  The former army recruitment officer began to experience severe migraines and blurred vision soon after her doctor prescribed the antibiotics. It was found that the antibiotics had caused a fluid to build up around her brain, a condition known as intracranial hypertension.  Ms Yeo had to undergo lumbar punctures to relieve the pressure in her brain and drain the fluid. Ms Yeo, from Penarth in Wales, first asked her GP for advice in December 2011 when…

Shorter 999 waiting time could have saved life

Posted: 22 January 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A coroner believes that 74-year-old Fred Pring could have survived his heart failure had ambulances arrived within the eight-minute waiting time target. Mr Pring had been lying on the floor for over forty minutes before he died. His wife had phoned the emergency services four times, after being told that the service was “too busy”, with her last call informing the service that they were “too late”, and that her husband had already died. Mr Pring suffered with heart and pulmonary disease for many years and was receiving treatment for chronic obstructive…

Ultrasound & MRI waiting times treble in Wales

Posted: 13 January 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

The last two years has seen the waiting times for diagnostic services in Wales, such as MRI scans and ultrasounds, treble.  Patients are being forced to wait for these services for longer than they ever have before, with waiting times for general treatment in Wales also reaching its highest level in the last two years.  The Welsh government said that health boards are doing all they can to solve these backlog problems. The standard waiting time for a patient referred for diagnostic services, such as a CT scan or an…

NHS Wales paid out £117m in last three years

Posted: 30 December 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

New figures have revealed that over the last three years, NHS Wales has paid out over £117m for personal injury and clinical negligence cases.  These figures were released by six of the seven Welsh health boards and the ambulance service, showing payouts totaling £177.6m since 2010.  The information was released following a freedom of information request made by the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The figures came at a shock as the NHS is currently under great financial strain. The majority of organisations had figures that remained fairly steady each year, but a…

Deaf man treated as a dementia patient

Posted: 19 December 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Nurses at Abergavenny’s Nevill Hall Hosptial treated an 80-year-old man as a dementia patient because no one had noted that he was severely deaf.  A health watchdog also found that staff at the hospital decided not to inform Mr W that he had developed cancer, and fitted him with a catheter despite not being incontinent.  A deaf charity said that this is a common problem; despite NHS guidelines ensuring top-quality care for deaf and blind patients. The man, referred to as Mr W as family have chosen to remain anonymous,…

Report of medical negligence leaked

Posted: 15 December 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A document suggesting that poor heath care could have contributed to the death of a seven-year-old boy has leaked and been anonymously sent to his family.  Luke Jenkins, from Cardiff, had been in hospital for a heart operation and was expected to make a full recovery when he suffered a cardiac arrest and died shortly after. The document containing the information was sent to his family dated the 8th of May by an anonymous sender. Four investigations had been carried out by the hospital, Bristol Children’s Hospital, suggesting that staff…

Rise in c. diff cases in north Wales

Posted: 25 November 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

North Wales has seen a rise in patients affected by the superbug Clostridium difficile (C. diff) over the last month, with health officials currently trying to tackle the problem.  October saw 47 cases of the superbug being reported by Betsi Cadwaladr health board (BCUHB), a figure well above the average for Wales.  BCUHB said that they are currently investigating the flaws in infection control with the assistance of Public Health Wales (PHW). Concern surrounding this recent rise follows the terrible outbreak that occurred earlier this year at Glan Clwyd Hospital…

Hospital apologises for mother’s death after caesarean section

Posted: 9 November 2013

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Elizabeth Maddocks died less than 24 hours after undergoing a caesarean section during the birth of her daughter.  Mrs Maddocks, from Wrexham, was not administered with blood-thinning medication for a prolonged period after the operation.  It took hospital staff 12 hours to provide her with the blood-thinning medication, resulting in her suffering deep vein thrombosis despite her frequent complaints of a swollen leg. Mrs Maddocks died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in February of last year despite her multiple complaints to hospital staff.  An inquest concerning the death heard that Betsi…

Unannounced hospital inspections for ‘bugwatch’ survey

Posted: 24 September 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

After last month saw an outbreak of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) at Glan Glwyd hospital, the importance of infection control has been brought to the attention of the Health Board and action is being taken. Since the disastrous outbreak, the Health Board has launched a new “bugwatch” survey, which will take shape through unannounced inspections across major hospitals in Wales, ensuring that staff are following infection control guidelines meticulously. Between January and May this year, 96 cases of the C. diff infection were recorded at the Glan Glywd hospital, and…

GP out-of-hours criticised following death in Carmarthen

Posted: 29 August 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Peter Tyndall, said that the outcome of an investigation in Hywel Dda Health Board’s service at West Wales Hospital revealed “fundamental failings”.  A lack of basic examination being carried out in the hospital resulted in the misdiagnosis of a patient and her later death.  Glenda Thomas (67) died as a result of these failures after being encouraged to visit her local out-of-hours GP service – run at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen – after she complained about the development of a rash…

A&E unit supported by councillors

Posted: 22 August 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

A campaign has started over concerns that Telford’s 24-hour accident and emergency unit is to be closed.  The chief executive of Royal Shrewsbury and the Telford hospital argues that it would be unrealistic to keep both A&E units in full operation, while councillors argue that the Princes Royal A&E should be preserved.  While the debate is underway, it will also be discussed if A&E services will remain solely at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. A consultation process is currently looking into the future of emergency health care, but Kuldip Sahota –…

Historical abuse at Deeside Community Hospital

Posted: 17 August 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

An investigation has been launched at Deeside Community Hospital in north Wales after allegations were made of ‘historical abuse’. The launch of the inquiry has stemmed from an allegation concerning the care of an elderly patient in 2004 at Deeside Community Hospital.  As a result of this concern, the standards of nursing care, and patient care in general, are being looked into by the hospital trust. The new director of nursing from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Angela Hopkins, made an announcement on Thursday that expressed their concern over the…

Specialist hospital plans in south Wales receive 5,000 opinions in first weeks

Posted: 30 June 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

There has been a tremendous public response after controversial plans were proposed to centralise some specialist hospital services in south Wales – health officials describe the public response as ‘unprecendented’.  The suggestion calls for a cut in consultant-led hospitals across south Wales, with NHS bosses believing that only a handful of hospitals should provide consultant-led services. Consultant-led services include the likes of accident and emergency units, premature baby care facilities etc.  Services which many across south Wales believe to be widely required.  However, NHS bosses believe that cuts in consultant-led…

Birth Injury Compensation

Posted in: Birth Injury, Medical Negligence

It is often said that no amount of compensation can make good the damage / injury caused by another party’s negligence, and this is perhaps more true of birth injuries than any other. The birth of a new baby is special for everyone involved, and this can be tainted by the negligence of a medical professional. Whilst compensation may not be able to undo all the harm that has been caused, it may go some way towards helping the parties to move on. Medical Negligence at Birth A birth injury…

One year of missing ambulance targets

Posted: 26 June 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

The Welsh ambulance service has failed to meet national targets for the 12th month running.  The national response time target for life-threatening calls around the UK is eight minutes – the ambulance service in Wales has failed to meet this now for one whole year. With a target in place that requires 65% of casualties to be reached in the eight-minute response target, only 62.5% were reached on time last month.  Despite this not quite aligning with required standards, these statistics from May are up on April’s figures – suggesting…

NHS services in Wales call for a ‘shake up’

Posted: 3 June 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Numerous public meetings have been arranged across south Wales in an attempt to make big improvements to medical services.  Community health leaders are encouraging a good public turnout to ensure that agreements are based on as many viewpoints as possible.  Over forty meetings have been arranged so far – primarily organised by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, Aneurin Bevan, Cardiff and Vale, CWM Taf and Powys health boards – with the first three being held on Monday.   One of these meetings will be held in Pontypridd, near the Royal Glamorgan, with…

NHS reforms cause protest

Posted: 30 May 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

An estimated 5,000 health professionals and union members recently marched through London in an attempt to prevent further change to the NHS. Worries of additional A&E closures, front-line staff cuts and the augmented privatisation of medicine have triggered a need for immediate action.  Protestors fear that the NHS is trying to save money instead of benefiting its patients.  Sue Tarr, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: “London’s nurses are here today because they’re worried that changes are being made to the NHS to save money, rather than to improve services…

Hospital criticised for risky operation

Posted: 18 April 2013

Posted in: Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A hospital in Wales has been heavily criticised by the Public Services Ombudsman after a man died after having bowel surgery, reports the BBC. Seventy-year-old Allan King had undergone the surgery at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend to relieve symptoms he suffered and to give him a better quality of life, but he died six days later. The ombudsman’s report found that the type of surgery carried out was too risky to be carried out just to relieve symptoms, and that Mr King had not had the risks fully…

Medical Negligence Injuries

Posted in: Medical Negligence

Medical negligence injuries are those injuries caused by the negligence of medical professionals including doctors, nurses, dentists and surgeons. Medical professionals have a duty of care towards the health and safety of their patients. Whilst most medical professionals in this country provided a good standard to care to their patients, sometimes accidents do happen. If a patient suffers an injury as a result of a medical professional’s negligence and therefore breach of duty, the patient can make a compensation claim against the medical professional. The most common medical negligence injuries…