Delayed Treatment - A&E Negligence

Delayed Treatment – A&E Negligence

When arriving at an Accident and Emergency department, you are likely to be seen first of all by the triage team whose job it is to decide which patients need the most urgent treatment. They will use the information that you or the paramedics who deliver you to hospital provide, alongside their extensive medical knowledge and experience to allocate appropriate treatment.

In most cases they make the correct call and patients are seen in the order of most urgency, but sometimes they make a mistake and patients’ lives can be put at risk.

In some cases this occurs as a result of a mistake made in the hospital, but issues can arise even before patients arrive there. Take for example the case of a lady who lost her arm after contracting necrotising fasciitis; a flesh-eating illness. When paramedics arrived to treat her they didn’t investigate her arm, instead concentrating on other symptoms including abdominal pain. They suggested she take paracetamol for the pain and have a rest. When she was taken to hospital the following day a correct diagnosis was made, but it was too late to save her arm. A judge awarded her compensation of around £150,000.

Sometimes the delay in treatment can occur due to other factors, such as not administering a drug at the correct time. One man who was left brain-damaged after doctors failed to administer an antiviral drug for over 8 hours when he was a baby, has recently been awarded £6.2 million, plus £74,000 per year to cover his on-going care costs.

Doctors and nurses are human, and we all do occasionally make mistakes, but if those mistakes cause you undue pain or suffering then there must be some redress, and compensation can help with adjustments for ongoing quality of life.

If you or someone you care for has suffered as a result of delayed treatment, you should contact one of our highly experienced and knowledgeable solicitors, free of charge, with no obligation to continue with a case if you chose not to. With a large number of successful cases under our belts we are best placed to advise you as to the best course of action, and to support you throughout the proceedings. Compensation can range from a few thousand pounds up to several million, depending on the severity of the outcome of the delay. Claims must be made within three years of the event, so contact us today and let us see how we can help you and your family get the pay-out you deserve.