Medical Negligence – Do You Have A Case?
In recent years, medical negligence cases are on the rise. This seems to be a direct effect of standards in healthcare in the NHS slipping, and people becoming more aware that if they have been on the receiving end of a case of medical negligence, they can make a claim.
Medical negligence is when you have received care that is not up to standard from a doctor or other healthcare professional. This care could directly cause injury or could be the cause an existing condition to get worse. Medical negligence can come from a number of issues including misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or surgical mistakes.
I have experienced medical negligence myself, both through treatment I have received from a local hospital when I was pregnant with my son, and then through treatment my son received when he went into hospital for a routine operation. In my case, I was seven months pregnant when it was wrongly diagnosed that I had had a stroke. I was told this, as was my family, causing distress and heartache (I was only 34 at the time), and was initially given drugs. Hours later, another medical professional told me, correctly this time, that the paralysis I was experiencing on my face was actually due to Bells Palsy, not a stroke. The fact that I was pregnant, and was being treated with drugs for stroke could’ve led to serious implications, especially as I am also diabetic.
I was admitted to hospital, but my experience did not improve. I was left for more than 12 hours without food, despite being diabetic and needing food at regular intervals along with my insulin. I was then told to try to relax and have a whirlpool bath in order to do this. I went into the bathroom but decided against the bath as I was just too tired, only to find a nurse literally beating down a door telling me not to have the bath as it could induce labour (as I said, I was 7 months pregnant at the time). I was so distraught at the situation that I signed myself out of hospital a day later – I was just so concerned with the level of treatment I was receiving.
I did not make a claim for medical negligence, although, in hindsight, I most definitely should’ve proceeded down this route. My treatment was poor, caused undue distress and could’ve had serious implications. It is also treatment that needed to be flagged up to ensure someone else did not suffer in the same way. But making a claim and a case seemed very complicated, and with a new baby and post natal depression, it was just something I didn’t think I could handle.
If you think you may have been a victim of medical negligence, you should consult a solicitor who is experienced in the area of medical mistakes, for instance, Tad Thomas, personal injury attorney, who takes cases nationwide and has vast experience in this area. Remember, you need to do this within a three year time limit from the date of your experience. Many solicitors offer no win, no fee, so you should not be financially restrained if you decide to proceed.
If you have suffered due to a poor level of care, someone should be accountable for this.
fashion-mommy
Welcome to the world of fashion-mommy, a world of fashion, lifestyle, theatre and fun. Enjoy the ride.
12 Comments
Michele
There have been multiple times in my life where I have misdiagnosed–treated for the wrong thing–or simply bullied by hospital personnel who were trying to get me to do something I knew was wrong! No I have never sued–you see I actually do not trust lawyers either!!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
Ugh. This is so disturbing to me. Who the heck can we trust?!
Brittany Charnley (@TheCoolHipMom)
I’ve never heard of medical negligence. That is so horrible! It’s scary that we are trusting these people with our medical services and that some people provide poor care….
Kristen from The Road to Domestication
Geeze. I hear more and more of these types of stories. It seems so common now! I’m sorry for your experience – no one should have to deal with these kinds of things.
genny
This subject is delicate because we must be experts in medicine but it is known when somebody is acting irresponsibly, I still blame the doctors my brother’s death since they never found the answer and he was suffering … 🙁
Sheleen Johnson
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that you went through this. It must have been very distressing at the time. I have a friends who has bells palsy and it can be hard to deal with. So having that mis diagnosed must have been awful, especially at such an important point in your pregnancy. I glad you got through it and thank you for sharing your experience.
mickeynohome
It’s shocking how the medical profession can do so much harm. Yet there are good doctor/ nurses etc. out there and they do deserve a lot of respect.
Sara Welch
I have an uncle who might have a case. Medical negligence has no place in a hospital.
Vanessa Delia
Medical negligence really burns me. Some people make too much money just to be lazy.
Mayuri Saxena
Medical negligence saddens me to the core. I have family members who are a victim of wrong diagnosis which increased their suffering. But there are good doctors too who have saved so many people’s life.
jocelynnielson
I am so sorry you had to experience that! It is a shame that such experiences exist.
Harsh
I keep hearing about cases of medical negligence and they boil me down to the core! Yes, there should be someone accountable and someone must raise their voice.