News

02 February 2012
111 patient helpline safety concerns - GP magazine, Pulse
The new 111 patient helpline should be put on hold over safety concerns, doctors warned yesterday.
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02 February 2012
A Will or Trust could have saved the situation…
A recent story on the BBC News website, regarding a man who was jailed for sharing his father’s industrial compensation, brought home the stark reality of how easily the situation could have been avoided just through seeking wealth protection advice.
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31 January 2012
Pursuing industrial disease claims where the former employer has ceased trading
It is sometimes the case that the victim of an asbestos related illness was exposed to asbestos during a period of employment with a company which has since been removed from the Companies Register or which does not have sufficient assets to meet a claim. In these situations, a compensation claim is still possible.
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20 January 2012
Law to protect whistleblowers
Health professionals who blow the whistle are now legally protected under changes to the NHS Constitution announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
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20 January 2012
Child brain damage charity report presented at the House of Commons
The stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands launched its major new report "Preventing Babies’ Deaths: what needs to be done" at the House of Commons on 18 January.
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16 January 2012
£200k compensation for shoulder injury caused by hospital negligence
On August 10, 2007, the claimant (C) attended an accident and emergency department of the defendant trust (D) suffering from fever, nausea, swelling and pain in her right upper arm.
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13 January 2012
Legal Aid changes will incur new costs for the taxpayer
As the government’s proposed £350 million legal aid cuts return to be debated in the House of Lords, an independent report from one of Britain’s leading universities reveals how these changes will incur new costs for the taxpayer by simply shifting the burden onto other parts of the public purse, such as the NHS.
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12 January 2012
Sofa protection spray danger - fresh concerns
There are fresh concerns about the use of spray protectors for furniture as reports in the legal and lay press identify Harveys Sofa Protector Spray as responsible for breathing difficulties, headaches, skin rashes and vomiting.
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04 January 2012
Discrimination against people with disabilities
The Guardian reports today that the NHS is accused of causing or contributing to the deaths of at least 74 patients with a learning disability because of poor care that reveals enduring "institutional discrimination" against people with disabilities among doctors and nurses.
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03 January 2012
Increase in NHS patients returning to hospital in an emergency
75 % increase in NHS patients returning to hospital in an emergency within a month of discharge.
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28 December 2011
£65,085 compensation for victim of asbestos related illness
Fitter at Humber McVeigh Transport Limited (now known as ACS & T Grimsby Limited) awarded asbestos compensation.
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23 December 2011
Sports injury claims - rugby club has duty of care
Sports injury claims are by their nature difficult to pursue. However, there are situations where a duty of care has been breached and a successful claim may be brought.
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21 December 2011
PIP Breast implant scare - women in France warned breast implant may be defective
Thousands of women in France are being warned that their breast implants could be defective and possibly cancerous...
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14 December 2011
"Teeth for dog attack postmen" - Victims of dog attacks
The postal workers union - the Communications Workers Union (the CWU) is launching an e-petition to change the law which deals victims of dog attacks.
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13 December 2011
Dog attack compensation claim - parents are responsible for children’s dog
Recent case confirms that parents are legally liable if a dog owned by one of their under 16 children attacks or injures a person.
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12 December 2011
Disability Living Allowance reversal
The Times has reported that the government is set to reverse its decision to scrap the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance for people in residential care.
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12 December 2011
Laser eye surgery negligence
Over 100,000 people in the UK undergo corrective laser eye surgery each year. We are regularly approached by patients that have not been told about the risks or have had them explained in insufficient detail and gone on to suffer.
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12 December 2011
Polish worker electrocuted at Sudeley Castle - health and safety failure
£57,000 fine for the death of a Polish worker electrocuted at Sudeley Castle. Family receives £29,000 compensation.
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12 December 2011
Spinal injury victim awarded £2 million and periodical payments
The claimant brought an action for damages following spinal injuries sustained in a road traffic accident (RTA) in 2008.The claimant sustained serious spinal injuries and brought an action the defendant for negligent driving.
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09 December 2011
Surgical Negligence - National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death
As Many as 100,000 high-risk patients undergoing surgery in NHS hospitals each year get sub-standard care.
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08 December 2011
Mesothelioma compensation - trigger test case
Supreme Court to decide whether insurers should pay asbestos victims compensation on the basis of when mesothelioma developed or when exposure to asbestos took place.
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30 November 2011
Claims resulting from non-occupational exposure to asbestos
It is possible to claim for compensation for asbestos exposure outside of the workplace, including residing near the source of asbestos or a family connection.
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30 November 2011
Catholic church must accept vicarious liability for its priests
Landmark High Court ruling: the Roman Catholic Church must take legal responsibility for the actions of its priests.
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28 November 2011
Key changes to the Government’s Motability Scheme
The Government has announced key changes to its Mobility Scheme which will have a significant impact on disabled drivers.
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21 November 2011
Moo… beware of mad cows!
Recent statistics confirm that attacks from animals such as aggressive cows caused 6 deaths in 2010 and left many suffering both mental and physical injuries.
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21 November 2011
£12.5k for delay in diagnosis of brain tumour
Although the claimant’s tumour was benign, a delay in diagnosis for almost 6 years led to devastating consequences: more complex surgical procedures resulting in facial nerve damage and nerve palsy.
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21 November 2011
£90k compensation for severe radial nerve damage
£90k compensation for medical negligence during a humerus bone operation, causing severe radial nerve damage and permanent disability.
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18 November 2011
Beauty treatment disasters – When treatments go wrong!
The beauty industry is thriving. With increasing demand for cheaper, quicker and more dramatic results, some therapies and beauty treatments are being poorly administered by untrained and unscrupulous individuals.
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03 November 2011
Neonatal death after mismanaged birth - £68k compensation awarded
Following the tragic death of a newborn as a result of oxygen starvation at birth, the mother claimed £68k compensation against the hospital for failing to deliver her baby earlier.
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31 October 2011
Hospital maternity report - Patients ‘at risk’
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) review of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust began in June 2011 after the deaths of two pregnant women at Queen's Hospital in Romford.
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31 October 2011
Government’s watered down “Duty of Candour” is a ‘cop out’
The Duty of Candour proposed by the Department of Health will not protect the rights of patients to the extent the patient safety charity AvMA (and others) hoped…
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20 October 2011
Brachial Plexus injury – £55k compensation claim
£55k compensation claim for child born with Erb’s Palsy as a result of negligent care of his mother during childbirth.
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13 October 2011
Compensation for negligent advice regarding medication
£1,250,000 compensation for GP negligence victim who suffered a severe stoke after her treatment passed from Hospital to her GP.
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13 October 2011
Supreme Court upholds Scottish law for pleural plaques victims
The Supreme Court upholds the Scottish Government’s right to introduce a legal entitlement to compensation for individuals with pleural plaques.
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12 October 2011
It's pay day for insurance executives if they cut asbestos claims
Highly paid insurance executives fighting a legal battle to limit compensation to asbestos-related cancer victims are being rewarded with lucrative bonuses.
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11 October 2011
Department of Health seeks views on a ‘Duty of Candour’ for health providers
On 10 October 2011, the Department of Health commenced a ‘Duty of Candour’ consultation process intended to make the NHS more transparent.
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11 October 2011
Scope assesses the impact of cuts in local disability services
A new report from Scope and think tank Demos ranks council's provision of local disability services following the recent spending cuts.
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07 October 2011
Marks & Spencer fined £1m for failing to prevent potential asbestos exposure
Marks & Spencer has been fined a total of £1 million for failing to protect customers, staff and trade workers from potential exposure to asbestos during store refurbishments.
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05 October 2011
Negligent destruction of medical records
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust has negligently destroyed 10,000 archived records and it failed to realise its mistake for three months.
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05 October 2011
Negligent nursing care
The head of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) comments on the poor quality of care and underfed patients due to the lack of training for health care assistants.
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04 October 2011
Boyes Turner – shortlisted for national litigation award second year in a row
Boyes Turner's Industrial Disease team has been shortlisted in the Claimant Personal Injury Team of the Year category at the prestigious Eclipse Proclaim sponsored - Personal Injury Awards 2011.
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29 September 2011
Untreated wrist fracture leads to lifetime of pain
As a result of clinical negligence leaving a wrist fracture untreated, the claimant received an out of court settlement of £20k.
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26 September 2011
Retained swab after caesarean section - medical negligence claim success
£15k compensation for surgical negligence which resulted in a swab left in a lady’s abdomen following a caesarean section.
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21 September 2011
NHS London reports "hundreds die at weekends"
Hundreds of people die every year in London due to a lack of hospital consultants available at weekends, according to NHS London.
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20 September 2011
Legal aid cuts - the fight goes on
Campaign groups have vowed to continue their fight against the government’s proposed legal aid cuts which include welfare benefits, clinical negligence and housing.
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14 September 2011
Undetected Hip Dysplasia – £488k compensation
17 yr old girl receives £488k for hospital failure to diagnose, treat and manage hip dysplasia.
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06 September 2011
£20k for medical negligence related pressure sore
Deceased's estate receives £20k compensation following medical negligence and inadequate care which resulted in a pressure sore related death.
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02 September 2011
Young father dies on Christmas Day after hospital negligence
A 23 year old father died after repeated misdiagnosis from GPs and at hospital led to blood poisoning from a bowel abscess.
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02 September 2011
Disability benefits face axe
Disability charity Scope criticises plans to reduce the Disability Living Allowance which assists disabled people to live a normal life.
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01 September 2011
NHS complaints system under fire
The Care Quality Commission joins statutory agencies in criticising the adequacy of the NHS complaints system.
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01 September 2011
Young girl leaves hospital paralysed after epidural
A 17 year old girl will never walk again after an epidural was left in her back for over two days while in in hosptial.
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31 August 2011
£140k compensation for birth injury only partially repaired
A 37 year old woman received £140k for incomplete repair of third degree tear suffered whilst giving birth in July 2005.
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26 August 2011
Negligent Treatment of a baby leads to death
A sequence of negligence and medical errors led to an emergency caesarean section and death of baby just 8 hours old.
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26 August 2011
Annual NHS hospital complaint report now available
Key finding: an increasing number of Foundation Trusts failed to submit data regarding patient complaints.
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26 August 2011
Delay in diagnosis of cervical cancer
Despite numerous complaints of unexpected vaginal bleeding, GPs and hospital doctors neglected to perform a cervical smear and diagnose cervical cancer.
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25 August 2011
£150k compensation for stillbirth following delayed caesarean section
A 43 year old woman whose complaint of reduced fetal movement was not acted on receives £150k after her child was stillborn.
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18 August 2011
Statistics reveal high instances of surgical error during bowel surgery
After many bowel surgeries - one in every 15 procedures - patients need repeat or further surgery and success rates vary between different surgeons and trusts.
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18 August 2011
NHS trusts not complying with patient safety alerts
Hospital and GP managers are failing to perform their duties and comply with rapid response safety alerts issued by the National Patient Safety Agency.
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16 August 2011
£165k compensation for multiple errors during spinal injury care
A spinal injury patient recevies £165k compensation settlement for medical negligence pre, during and post spinal surgery.
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09 August 2011
Industrial Disease team recovers £850K for pleural plaque sufferers
Boyes Turner ID lawyers assist 170 individuals suffering as a result of exposure to asbestos receive compensation totalling £850K.
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09 August 2011
£850k for severe injury at birth
13 yr old receives £850k for medical negligence at birth leading to severe spinal damage and Erb's Palsy.
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09 August 2011
£850k compensation for injury causing Erb's Palsy
13 yr old receives £850k compensation for brachial plexus injury from shoulder dystocia during birth.
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05 August 2011
Hospital delays linked to baby deaths
Incidents of newborn baby deaths and stillborns at a NHS hospital leads to an enquiry by the Care Quality Commission.
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04 August 2011
Patient Safety – how can lawyers help?
Compensation culture in the UK is not as big an issue as the media portrays; patients mainly bring medical negligence claims against the NHS to protect others from the same outcome.
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03 August 2011
GP misdiagnosis of growth in groin
Successful clinical negligence claim against GP who misdiagnosed a malignant melanoma.
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02 August 2011
GP negligence: on the increase
The General Medical Council (GMC) confirms most of the complaints it receives relate to GP clinical negligence.
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01 August 2011
Delay in diagnosis of testicular cancer
A 31 year old man was awarded £10k following medical negligence leading to a delay in diagnosis of testicular cancer.
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01 August 2011
Surgeon who botched operations suspended for a year
Doctors and surgeons must recognise when a procedure is beyond their capability, rather than risk medical negligence.
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01 August 2011
£1m compensation for brain damage suffered during birth
Lack of medical care during childbirth led to a 26 year-old lady receiving £1,000,000 lump sum compensation for brain damage suffered during her birth in 1983.
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15 July 2011
Further victory for Mesothelioma Victims
The ruling from a recent Supreme Court Appeal will have a significant impact in assisting future mesothelioma compensation claims.
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14 July 2011
Lack of hospital screening for DVT
English hospitals risk medical negligence claims for not screening patients for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), according to a review by the NHS.
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07 July 2011
NHS cut backs: increase in waiting time?
As the NHS purse strings tighten further, senior executives consider the implications on current waiting time targets.
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07 July 2011
Widow receives compensation for GP misdiagnosis
£125k successful compensation for widow whose husband died as a result of a incorrect medication for internal bleeding.
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07 July 2011
Compensation for negligence during hysterectomy
A 56 year old woman received £65k compensation for surgical negligence during a hysterectomy operation.
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06 July 2011
Can Fixodent cause brain damage?
Research into the link between Fixodent, the well known brand of denture adhesive and zinc poisoning continues...
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06 July 2011
Fridge freezer fires – are you at risk?
Investigation into fires caused by fridge freezers manufactured by BEKO continues.
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06 July 2011
Does mediation improve efficiency of claims?
Boyes Turner medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond responds to a Government consultation regarding the use of mediation in accident claims.
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06 July 2011
More manufacturers recall unsafe household appliances
An increasing number of well-known brands are recalling defective appliances to avoid product liability compensation.
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06 July 2011
Pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis leads to young man’s death
Parents receive £130k compensation for son’s death following hospital failure to diagnose a pulmonary embolism on multiple occasions.
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06 July 2011
Major Enquiry into London NHS Trust
The Care Quality Commission investigates medical negligence at London NHS Trust – only the second inquiry of its kind to be carried out.
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05 July 2011
Industry body defends doctors who act with integrity
The MDU defends doctors who are potential scapegoats for medical negligence as a result of system (rather than individual) failures.
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05 July 2011
Midwife shortage leads to stillbirth
A shortage of midwives meant a mother was denied proper care leading to stillbirth.
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05 July 2011
Brain damage baby claims difficult to prove
Due to their complex nature, a number of cerebral palsy compensation settlements are agreed at a percentage of their full value.
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04 July 2011
Medical negligence - delays in teenage cancer diagnosis
One in four young cancer patients (24%) aged between 13 and 24 visited their GP at least four times before their symptoms were taken seriously.
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04 July 2011
Is the NHS Complaints System failing?
In 2009-2010, the medical negligence ombudsman investigated only 3% of about 15,000 health complaints.
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29 June 2011
Large compensation payout for brain damaged baby after neo-natal negligence
The Heart of England NHS Trust agreed a £7m compensation settlement to the family of a child which suffered baby brain damage as a result of hospital negligence. The Heartlands Hospital admitted liability for the negligence in the baby’s care after his birth December 1999, which led to brain damage and cerebral palsy.
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28 June 2011
Hospital complaints on the rise
More than 100,000 people complained about NHS treatment in 2009-10, an increase of 13.4% to 101,077, the biggest rise for 12 years.
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22 June 2011
Goodbye to legal aid
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has today confirmed that it will bring forward legislation immediately for the abolition of legal aid for clinical (ie medical) negligence cases.
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21 June 2011
Delayed diagnosis of child’s brain tumour
A campaign is being launched to teach parents to look out for the warning signs of brain tumours - the leading cause of cancer deaths in children. Brain tumours also leave two-thirds of survivors with significant disability.
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21 June 2011
Duty of Candour - Imposing a duty on Doctors to admit mistakes
The patient charity AvMA reports that the Liberal Democrats are arguing for the Duty of Candour to be included in the Health & Social Care Bill after the current ‘listening’ exercise.
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20 June 2011
Compensation for negligence that resulted in stillbirth
An NHS trust has settled out of court with a family whose son was stillborn due to poor maternity care at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in October 2009.
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15 June 2011
Legal Aid for medical negligence claims
According to a recent parliamentary answer, the NHS now pays out annually more than £1billion in compensation payments, including costs, following mistakes made by doctors and nurses.
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07 June 2011
Poor post surgical after care results in pressure sores - £30k compensation
A man in his eighties has been awarded compensation for the negligent care he received following an operation at Worthing Hospital. The failings in care led to him developing extensive pressure sores, exposing both muscle and bone.
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07 June 2011
Medical negligence claim for failure to diagnose dislocated shoulder
A 56 year old woman has been awarded £35k in compensation for an 8 month delay in diagnosing her dislocated shoulder.
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07 June 2011
£120k compensation for negligence during surgery
A 71 year old man has received £120k in compensation for the injuries, pain and suffering he sustained following negligently performed operations in 2007.
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03 June 2011
Delayed diagnosis of dislocated shoulder - £35k compensation
A 56 year old woman received £35k in compensation as a result of an 8 month delay in diagnosing a dislocation of her left shoulder.
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01 June 2011
Health service negligence
According to an article in The Independent on 20 May, the head of the country's medicines watchdog said NHS chief executives care more about managing their budgets than saving the lives of their patients.
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01 June 2011
Changes to the personal injury claims system
Top ranked medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond explains why he and his firm Boyes Turner oppose the Government’s proposed changes to the compensation system
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01 June 2011
Delay in diagnosis of cancer caused unnecessary suffering
A woman underwent months of unnecessary and painful treatment after her GP failed to refer her for a chest x-ray which would have allowed an earlier diagnosis of her cancer.
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25 May 2011
Wales NHS cuts
Wales is facing the worst NHS cuts in the UK, a recent review of spending suggests. How will this affect levels of patient care?
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23 May 2011
Birth injury compensation for 8 year old boy
An 8 year old boy was awarded £60k in medical negligence compensation for injuries sustained during his delivery in March 2002 as a result of negligent hospital staff.
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20 May 2011
£12k compensation - negligent surgery performed on sports injury
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04 May 2011
More screening for pregnant women required?
All pregnant women should be screened for hidden signs of thyroid disease, according to Czech researchers.
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28 April 2011
Ovarian Cancer – call for earlier action
GPs should offer more blood tests to try to detect ovarian cancer earlier, according to new guidelines for the NHS.
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20 April 2011
Protect Legal Aid in the UK - sign the petition
Boyes Turner supports The Law Society's campaign to defend access to justice. Their Sound Off For Justice campaign continues to gather momentum with over 4,500 people having already signed the petition, which will be sent to Ken Clarke.
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20 April 2011
Legal Aid abolition
Boyes Turner acts for almost all of its clinical negligence brain injured clients with the benefit of legal aid. These cases are very complex and require extensive and very expensive medical expert evidence to establish. The Government is proposing to abolish legal aid for this type of work, please sign the petition to prevent this from happening.
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14 April 2011
High rates of stillbirth in the UK - 11 stillborn everyday
Recent headlines suggest that stillbirth rates in the UK are higher than in almost every other high-income country.
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14 April 2011
1 in 3 patients encounter hospital error in USA
Out of every 3 patients who go to hospital in the United States, 1 will encounter a hospital error, according to an article published in Health Affairs this month.
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14 April 2011
Obstetric and midwifery negligence
The Guardian has recently reported that the NHS is facing a spiralling bill for blunders made by maternity-unit staff during labour that result in a baby dying or suffering brain damage or disability.
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14 April 2011
NHS front line jobs under threat
A Royal College of Nursing study of 21 NHS trusts where budget cuts were taking place found more than half of posts under threat were in areas such as nursing and midwifery.
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14 April 2011
Nursing negligence
President of the Royal College of Nursing admits that some members of her profession are not fit to work in hospitals and deliver poor care to patients.
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03 April 2011
A crisis in midwifery? Birth injury and baby death claims on the rise
According to a report by the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries recently published, 14 NHS trusts have significantly raised baby death rates which are up to twice the national average.
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22 March 2011
Royal Brompton Hospital child heart surgery plans challenged
The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is to challenge proposals to end child heart surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
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08 March 2011
Falls from a height at work
Falls from height are the biggest cause of fatal and major injuries in the construction and maintenance industry. During the three year period up to the end of 2010, there were 132 fatalities in relation to falls from height - 85 in the construction industry alone.
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04 March 2011
Baby loss depression 'lasts years'
The psychological impact of losing an unborn baby can last for several years, a British and US study has found.
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03 March 2011
£2 million compensation for delay in diagnosis of an epidural abscess in neck
A woman was left permanently paralysed from the chest down and requiring 24-hour care after hospital staff wrongly diagnosed her symptoms leading to a delay in treatment.
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28 February 2011
Lives at risk as hospitals fail to fix safety problems
Half of the 406 NHS trusts in England are failing to comply with the alerts, which cover everything from equipment failure to warnings on correct dosage, according to the charity, Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA).
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25 February 2011
Government about to announce fines for hospitals where catastrophic mistakes occur
A list of 25 unacceptable errors likely to cause death or serious injury has been drawn up including giving transfusions of the incorrect blood type, amputating the wrong limb, and causing patients to suffer severe scalding.
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25 February 2011
Legal aid for clinical negligence
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) received 5000 submissions in response to its Green Paper proposing the abolition of legal aid for clinical negligence (as well as other) cases. Despite the volume of submissions the MOJ aims to issue its response by Easter.
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17 February 2011
Newborn baby deaths - Commons debate on inadequate maternity services
A Birmingham MP has led a debate on maternity services in the House of Commons in the wake of an independent inquiry which found that inadequate maternity care potentially caused the death of 21 babies during labour and childbirth in the West Midlands.
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17 February 2011
Boyes Turner take on the Reading Half Marathon for the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund
Staff from Boyes Turner’s Industrial Disease group have donned their lycra in order to raise awareness and funds for people affected by Mesothelioma; a rare incurable type of cancer almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. The team of seven runners, headed by Partner, Helen Childs, will be running the Reading Half Marathon for The Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund (MKMRF).
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16 February 2011
Woman dies after doctors fail to diagnose perforated bowel following colonoscopy procedure
In a recent case, a woman and her siblings brought a claim against an NHS Trust following the death of their 71 year old mother in January 2005.
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16 February 2011
Failings in the care of elderly NHS patients “Listen Better, Learn More” a lesson for the NHS?
The NHS is failing to treat elderly patients in England with care, dignity and respect, an official report says.
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16 February 2011
Children’s Heart Surgery Review – Decision due
A review of children's heart surgery is expected to recommend that at least four out of 11 units across England should stop operating.
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14 February 2011
Dangers of overseas medical treatment - Model dies after silicone buttock injection
The death of a model who had a silicone injection to enhance her buttocks has highlighted the dangers of seeking medical treatment overseas. In the case of Claudia Aderotimi Police have suggested that she may have been given industrial silicone rather than medical silicone.
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14 February 2011
Product Liability: Proctor & Gamble sued over Fixodent zinc poisoning
The pharmaceutical giant, Proctor & Gamble, are currently being sued over allegations that the zinc content of their denture adhesive product Fixodent could cause zinc poisoning, neuropathy and other debilitating injuries
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14 February 2011
Dangerous games - what is acceptable risk?
A number of recent personal injury claims in which the Courts are asked to consider the social benefit of sporting activities leisure activities against the level of risk entailed.
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11 February 2011
Safety concerns for workers at 2012 athletes' village
The Guardian recently reported that a leaked report compiled by the body responsible for delivering the 2012 Olympics has revealed serious concerns about health and safety at the athletes' village construction site.
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10 February 2011
Two day old twin baby died after negligent hospital care during labour and delivery
A couple have received a five-figure compensation payout following the death of their baby boy, who was starved of oxygen before being delivered by caesarean section.
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10 February 2011
Woman suffered pulmonary embolism and psychological injury
A 58 year old woman was awarded £50k in compensation following hospital negligence which resulted in her developing a pulmonary embolism.
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10 February 2011
Anne Diamond talks to Boyes Turner's experts about the importance of making a will
Caroline Wallis and Julia Appleton were guests on the Anne Diamond show on BBC Radio Berkshire on 7th Feb 2011 to discuss the importance of why people should make wills and the consequences of not having one.
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09 February 2011
Carbon monoxide death - Coroner calls for gas industry rethink
Boyes Turner’s personal injury lawyers represented Richard Haines in the inquest into the death of his wife Katie as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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08 February 2011
Pushchair Injury Claims - Silver Cross and Phil&Teds
The Independent recently reported that two pushchair manufacturers have issued safety alerts after their prams trapped the fingers of some children and adults who used them.
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08 February 2011
Toyota recalls thousands of cars due to potential fuel leaks
The Daily Mail recently reported that car manufacturer Toyota is recalling nearly 19,000 cars in the UK because of potential fuel leaks.
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08 February 2011
Negligence during forceps delivery caused brain damage to newborn
An NHS trust has apologised recently to a family after a newborn baby was left brain-damaged and blind in one eye following a forceps delivery.
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08 February 2011
Diluting patient power? The NHS shake-up
Patients risk having less of a say in the running of the NHS in England under the proposed shake-up, according to eight leading health charities.
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04 February 2011
GP’s failure to refer premature baby to hospital led to brain injury
In a recent case, a GP was found to be negligent after he failed to refer a prematurely born baby to hospital despite the fact that it was displaying worrying symptoms. His failure to act led to the baby suffering severe brain damage which could have been avoided.
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03 February 2011
Small maternity units in Wales 'not safe' - Welsh NHS official
NHS Wales' medical director admits that some smaller maternity units in Wales are not "safe or sustainable" - dependent on temporary agency staff at a cost of millions of pounds a year with no way of ensuring the quality and competence of these staff or their immediate availability.
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01 February 2011
£1 million compensation after mis-diagnosis led to permanent brain injury
A 60 year old man, was awarded £1million in compensation after he suffered a ruptured spleen and subsequent brain injury in June 2004. He was left with permanent cognitive impairments which affected his ability to continue working.
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01 February 2011
£1.9 million compensation - woman left wheelchair bound
A 39 year old woman, was awarded £1.9 million in compensation after a hospital failed to catheterise her following the delivery of her 3rd child in August 2001.
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28 January 2011
Pressure sores - £25k compensation
An 89 year old man was awarded £25k in medical negligence compensation for pressure sores he sustained on his heels and sacrum in January 2009.
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28 January 2011
Cerebral palsy and quadriplegia - boy receives £6.4m pay out
A hospital trust has been ordered to pay out £6.4m to a couple whose son was born with learning difficulties and quadriplegia.
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27 January 2011
Hospitals fail to use early warning systems to identify deteriorating patients
Recent research suggests that hospitals are not using the early warning systems recommended by the National Patient Safety Agency to identify deteriorating patients, despite evidence they can help reduce hospital death rates.
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25 January 2011
Work at Height Regulations 2005 – duties imposed on employer
In this recent case British Telecom was fined £300k following its "significant failing" which contributed to the death of one its engineers who died after falling from the top rung of the seven-foot stepladder while carrying out installation work.
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24 January 2011
Women injured during childbirth
For a few women in the UK, giving birth results in traumatic, life-changing injuries. In the UK, the number of women affected is very small, but the effect on their lives is colossal reports The Guardian.
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24 January 2011
National Heart Failure Audit - Specialist cardiology care could save 5000 lives a year
Two recent articles published by The Guardian look at the results of a National Heart Failure Audit published by the NHS Information Centre which suggests that people with heart failure are twice as likely to die if they are admitted to a general hospital ward rather than one specialising in cardiology.
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17 January 2011
21 babies 'may have died due to poor NHS maternity care'
The deaths of 21 babies within a year may have been caused by 'substandard' NHS maternity care according to a report prepared by the West Midlands Perinatal Institute following investigations into 15 hospitals in the West Midlands.
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17 January 2011
Compensation for boy, 8, suffocated at birth
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS trust is to pay out £6million after a mother was given a drug which suffocated her baby during labour at the Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn in 2002.
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17 January 2011
Brain Injury Negligence Claim
A 54 year old man suffered a severe brain injury after suffering a period of profound hypotension (low blood pressure) whilst in hospital following a fall at home.
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17 January 2011
NHS upheaval could have been avoided
The upheaval in the NHS in England is unnecessary as the same results could have been achieved by a small change in the current structure, leading GPs say.
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17 January 2011
Personal Injury Advertising Scourge
The crackdown on personal injury advertising started just before Christmas as the Ministry of Justice unveiled plans to ban inducements to bring a claim.
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14 January 2011
Hospital negligence - 14 month old severely brain damaged baby died from pneumonia
Baby Amaan required constant nursing and feeding through a tube after catastrophic medical errors made during his delivery left him severely disabled. Aged only 14 months, he died from pneumonia after his immune system was left so weak by his brain damage.
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14 January 2011
Doctors failed to refer 14 year old suffering from bacterial pneumonia to hospital quickly enough
Morwenna Ganz, who lives in Teddington, was a healthy 14 year old when she fell ill with bacterial pneumonia in December 1999. She is now 25 years old and has won the first part of her London High Court action for compensation.
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12 January 2011
Cases dropped against malaria homeopaths
Officials have dropped charges against pharmacies alleged to have advised people to take homeopathic remedies to protect them against malaria instead of anti-malarial drugs, the BBC reported this week.
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05 January 2011
Hospitals providing inferior obstetric care at night
One of Britain’s top maternity doctors reveals ‘huge concern’ over inexperienced NHS staff making poor decisions when women give birth at night. Dr Falconer has warned that mothers get an inferior service from the NHS when they give birth at night because junior staff on duty then make poor decisions about their care.
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04 January 2011
Will NHS reforms lead to supermarket-style discount surgery deals?
The NHS is bracing itself for a price war in which hospital trusts will offer supermarket-style discounts to fight each other for business. The Government is to permit hospitals to compete on price for the first time, raising the prospect of two-for-one deals on surgery and cut-rate consultations for certain specialties.
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04 January 2011
"Seismic shift" in maternity care required
The leader of the UK's midwives says there needs to be "a seismic shift" in the way maternity care is provided. In a New Year's message, the head of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), claimed maternity services were "almost near breaking point".
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04 January 2011
Land of Leather "toxic sofa" victims win compensation
Just weeks before the Court of Appeal was due to hear the appeals of over 400 sofa dermatitis victims whose claims had been rejected by the High Court in March 2010, a settlement was reached with Zurich.
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23 December 2010
Family of eight year old girl with cerebral palsy awarded £9 million compensation
The family of eight year old Amy Smith have been awarded £9 million in compensation from the NHS after she suffered brain damage during a late birth. Her family say “no amount of money can replace what she has lost.”
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22 December 2010
Cancer survival rates in UK lag behind other countries
Although breast cancer survival rates have improved, overall cancer survival rates in the UK are much lower than those in other developed countries.
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21 December 2010
Woman died after medical staff failed to recognise cervical cancer
A young mother died leaving her husband and four children after medical staff failed to recognise that her cervical cancer had returned.
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21 December 2010
Thousands of diabetes patients have been given the wrong doses of insulin
Official figures have revealed that thousands of diabetes patients have been given the wrong doses of insulin. Hospitals and community health organisations have ordered an online mass safety training programme for doctors and nurses.
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20 December 2010
£359m fund supporting people with severe disabilities to be cut
The Independent Living Fund, worth £359m, is to be cut by 2015. With that, and other spending cuts to welfare benefits, such as the mobility element of disability living allowance for those in residential care, people with severe disabilities are greatly affected.
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20 December 2010
New RTA claims portal
A new streamlined claims processing system to deal with all new low value road traffic accidents was introduced in April 2010.
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20 December 2010
Women with birth injuries suffering in silence
Mel had her first baby two years ago. Although her pregnancy went well and today her son is a happy, healthy toddler, her son’s delivery was traumatic. She is doubly incontinent, sex is difficult and painful and she rarely goes out socially. She has only been able to return to work in the last two months. Mel isn't alone.
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20 December 2010
Care Quality Commission reports continuing concerns
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that it must improve the way it follows up on test results and how it deals with serious incidents including missed diagnoses.
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20 December 2010
Should there be a free movement of labour?
The BBC has been told how a GP has been campaigning following the death of his father. His father was killed by a lethal overdose of Diamorphine given to him by an incompetent GP from Germany who was doing a shift for an out-of-hours service in the UK. Despite being struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC) he has been allowed to continue practising back in Germany.
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20 December 2010
17% of NHS estate deemed ‘not functionally suitable for use’
The Department of Health supplied figures in 2009/10 that 17% of the NHS estate has been deemed ‘not functionally suitable for use’.
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09 December 2010
'Misdiagnosed cancer patients' at Bristol Royal Infirmary
A report commissioned by the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has criticised the Bristol Royal Infirmary after patients were given the wrong cancer diagnoses.
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07 December 2010
Delay in diagnosis of cancer - the official statistics
23% of all cancer cases in England are not spotted until patients are admitted to hospital for emergency treatment, according to a study published by the National Cancer Intelligence Network recently. The study revealed that the elderly, the poor and people under 25 are most at risk of a late diagnosis of the condition.
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02 December 2010
The Care Quality Commission review maternity services in England
Care Quality Commission has recently carried out a survey looking at women’s experiences of maternity care in England. In order to take part in the survey, women had to be aged 16 or over, received care from the 144 NHS Trusts in England and who had either given birth in a hospital, birth centre, maternity unit of at home.
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02 December 2010
Improvements required for out of hours medical care
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) today told the BBC that junior doctors have to care for too many patients because there are not enough consultants on duty at weekends and in the evenings. The RCP says there is mounting evidence of poor out-of-hours care in hospitals. It is calling for a consultant to be on duty for at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
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02 December 2010
A lack of basic care in NHS hospitals
The Patients Association has today said to the BBC that nursing care must be strengthened and the complaints system overhauled because of continued poor care of older people in hospital.
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29 November 2010
Compensation awarded for failure to diagnose bowel obstruction in 2 year old
Hospital failed to recognise and treat an internal blockage relating to gastroschisis in a 2 year old.
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26 November 2010
Baby was given 10 times salt dose at Nottingham hospital
Distracted nurses gave baby Samuel 10 times the prescribed dose of salt at a Nottingham hospital. The infant suffered swelling to the brain and died.
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25 November 2010
Appropriate management of diabetes patients
Data from the Department of Health shows variations in the amputation rates in diabetes patients across England.
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24 November 2010
Millions of patients at risk as hospitals disregard blood clot guidance
Report finds that up to eight million NHS hospital patients may be at risk of life threatening blood clots because hospitals are not following guidelines about their prevention.
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18 November 2010
NHS Litigation Authority report - midwives at higher risk of obstetric negligence claims
NHS research suggests that midwives are more likely to be involved in negligence cases than frontline hospital staff working in other areas.
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17 November 2010
Midwife deficit set to worsen as Government u-turns on pre-election promise
Government u-turn on pledge to provide 3000 extra midwives in the face of rising birth rates and increasing numbers of high risk births.
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17 November 2010
Government's proposals to reform of legal aid and civil litigation funding and costs
If implemented these proposals will spell the end to Legal Aid for medical negligence cases and means victims of negligence will no longer be able to retain all of the compensation to which they are entitled by law.
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16 November 2010
Premature baby death: 2-day-old twins die at Stafford Hospital
An inquest into their deaths had been opened and adjourned and full post-mortem results are awaited. Stafford Hospital is currently the subject of a public inquiry into previous failings in patient care.
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15 November 2010
Stillborn and newborn baby post-mortem delays criticised
More than 6,500 UK babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth each year and thousands of parents are missing out on the chance to discover why, as a combination of red tape and long waits mean that most parents say no.
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15 November 2010
NHS 'must improve care of elderly surgery patients'
A recent independent review has concluded that NHS Hospitals need to improve their care of elderly patients undergoing surgery.
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15 November 2010
Stafford Hospital’s ‘ineffective’ controls – inquiry
The regulatory system at Stafford Hospital was "wholly ineffective", a public inquiry has heard. The hearing is the fifth into the hundreds of higher than expected deaths at the hospital between 2005 and 2008.
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12 November 2010
No money for Avastin
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has confirmed there will not be NHS funding in England and Wales for the anti-cancer drug Avastin.
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12 November 2010
Job cuts and rising waiting lists for NHS Hospitals
According to a report from the Royal College of Nurses, the NHS faces a period of job cuts, clogged hospital wards and rising waiting times.
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10 November 2010
£25k compensation for damage caused to ureter during hysterectomy operation
A woman received £25k incompensation after neglient surgery left her with a damaged ureter. As a result, she had to undergo a second operation and several months of pain, suffering and anxiety.
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09 November 2010
Stafford Hospital - Public Inquiry
Robert Francis QC has been asked by the Health Secretary to undertake a Public Inquiry into events at Stafford hospital between 2005 and 2008, when as many as 1,200 patients may have died from preventable causes.
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03 November 2010
Midwifery negligence - compensation for woman who was injured at birth
An 18 year old woman was awarded £170k in compensation, following a bracial plexus injury she had suffered during her birth. She suffered cosmetic deformity and restricted functional abilities in her non-dominant arm.
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01 November 2010
Ectopic pregnancy test developed
A new type of blood screening has been developed that can detect whether a baby is growing outside of the womb with higher accuracy than the conventional test.
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01 November 2010
NHS Trust 'failing' on 11 standards
Boyes Turner's medical negligence lawyers are currently acting for a number of patients and their families in claims arising as a result of prescription errors which have resulted either a poorer outcome for the patient, or indeed death.
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27 October 2010
NHS wastes £2.6 million whilst brain damaged and disabled patients suffer funding cuts
Outrage - the disabled and brain damaged suffer welfare and funding cuts whilst the NHS continues to waste millions.
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24 October 2010
Patient left brain damaged after agency nurse mistakenly switched off life support
An agency nurse working for the NHS was filmed switching off her patient's life support machine by mistake, causing him to suffer serious brain damage.
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24 October 2010
£28.5k compensation - damaged bowel caused by negligent surgeon
A 21-year-old woman has received £28.5k in compensation after her mesenteric vein and small bowel were damaged during surgery in May 2006. She was left with permanent scars and the possibility of requiring revision surgery in the future.
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24 October 2010
Welfare Spending Cuts - How will the sick and disabled be affected?
The government’s new four year spending plans will mean one million sick and disabled people who are struggling to find jobs will lose thousands of pounds in benefits a year, forcing many back into work. Here we look at how you may be affected.
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19 October 2010
The NHS Constitution and Whistleblowing - A paper for consultation
On 12 October the Department of Health launched a consultation document which seeks views on proposals amending the NHS Constitution regarding patient safety and whistleblowing.
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17 October 2010
John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford heart surgery unit set to close
Heart operations on children were suspended at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in March this year after four babies died within a few months of a new surgeon starting work there. The unit is now set to close following a Government review.
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17 October 2010
Delay in diagnosis of cervical cancer led to death of 30 year old woman
A young mother died after an eight month delay in the diagnosis of cervial cancer left her with an advanced tumour in the pelvic cavity which was inoperable.
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13 October 2010
Hepatitis C caused by health and safety breaches
A healthcare worker contracted the Hepatitis C virus after injuring herself on a needle used to take blood from an infected patient.
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13 October 2010
Birth injury negligence claims on the rise
Medical negligence relating to the care of newborn babies cost the taxpayer an estimated £4 billion in compensation payments over the past 15 years and the situation appears to be getting worse.
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11 October 2010
Is rise in caesarean births down to legitimate medical reasons?
New research scotches the myth there is a large group of women clamouring for caesarean on demand.
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11 October 2010
Shocking carelessness: high numbers of 'wrongsite surgery' still taking place
Figures released by the National Patient Safety Agency show that in 2009-10 there were 57 reports of "wrongsite surgery" ie operations on the wrong parts of patients' bodies or the wrong patient.
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11 October 2010
Erb's Palsy - Negligence compensation secured for 18 year old birth injury victim
An 18 year old woman has received over £169k in compensation after negligent medical care during her birth left her with erb's palsy.
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27 September 2010
Erb's Palsy Claim - £45k medical negligence compensation
An eight-year-old girl has received £450k for injuries to her left brachial plexus sustained during her delivery.
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27 September 2010
Keyhole surgery injury claims on the rise
The National Patient Safety Agency have issued an alert stating that surgeons are failing to notice complications after "keyhole" surgery which have led to the deaths of 11 patients and hundreds more being harmed.
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21 September 2010
Are vulnerable pregnant women missing out on vital antenatal care?
Teenage mothers, domestic abuse victims, drug users and non-English speakers are the least likely to use antenatal services despite being the most in need.
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21 September 2010
Product Recall Risk - recalled products have quadrupled
The European Commission has reported that the number of products notified to the EU Recall Registration System (RAPEX) has quadrupled from 468 in 2004 to 1993 in 2009 with consumers suffering from a range of personal injuries caused by faulty or unsuitable products - from chemical burns and electric shocks to choking and even strangulation.
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09 September 2010
Brain tumour missed for four years
A man's tumour showed up on brain scans in 2000 but a senior consultant failed to examine them.
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09 September 2010
Ten hospital doctors and a GP miss stomach cancer
Angela Skeffington, 43, claims blundering medical staff continually misdiagnosed her stomach cancer as period pains, depression and even indigestion.
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08 September 2010
Erb's palsy claim - £280k compensation for 10 year old boy
A 10 year old boy has received £280k in compensation for injuries to his left brachial plexus sustained during his delivery. He developed Erb's palsy and suffered permanent impairment of function in his shoulder, arm and elbow.
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08 September 2010
Hospital's failure to diagnose mothers' ruptured abdominal scar led to baby's death
A 34 year old woman was awarded £60k in compensation for the death of her newborn baby boy at 4 months old, after a hospital's failure to diagnose a ruptured abdominal scar and immediately carry out a caesarean section.
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08 September 2010
Compensation for injuries received whilst being treated for a heart attack in hospital
A 41 year old man, received £100k in compensation for the arm injuries he sustained during hospital treatment in June 2004. He suffered permanent significant functional impairment of his right arm.
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07 September 2010
Health and social care services are monitoring controlled drugs more effectively
New findings have been published in the third annual report on progress made in implementing regulations introduced in response to the Shipman Inquiry.
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06 September 2010
Delayed diagnosis and treatment of boy's Ewing's Sarcoma cancer
A 14 year old boy has received £80k in compensation after a 4 month delay in the diagnosis and treatment of the cancer in his leg meant he had to undergo more aggressive treatment which carries a very high risk of causing infertility.
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02 September 2010
Charges if dog bites anyone on your property - Payouts for dog attack victims
Dog owners could soon face criminal charges if their animals bite anyone in their own home, as ministers contemplate radical changes to the law.
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02 September 2010
Akita Dog Attack - Young girl scared to look in the mirror after savage attack
The Sun newspaper has reported that a traumatised schoolgirl who was mauled by an American Akita fighting dog has been left too scared to look in the mirror after the savage attack.
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02 September 2010
Dog attack - Girl of ten savaged by rottweilers
Rhianna Kidd suffered a broken jaw and horrific bites to her body when she was attacked by a pair of rottweilers as she cycled to her grandmother's home.
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01 September 2010
Complaints against GPs
Latest figures suggest that the number of written complaints about general practice in the last year increased by 4.4 per cent.
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01 September 2010
Cerebral Palsy claim against Rochford Hospital, Essex
An 18 year old girl has been awarded £4 million in compensation in a cerebral palsy claim against an Essex hospital.
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01 September 2010
NHS obstetric services 'in crisis'
Despite receiving record funding and having achieved a surplus of £1.7 billion in 2007-08, the share of the NHS budget spent on maternity services has fallen from 3 per cent to 2 per cent since 1997 and obstetric services are now in crisis.
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01 September 2010
Compensation for elderly patient who was injured whilst in hospital due to negligent care
A 75 year old woman received £18k in compensation for injuries sustained when she fell out of her hospital bed after the bedrails were put down.
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01 September 2010
Survey shows delayed surgery for one in five elderly patients with broken hips
Hip fractures from falls are one of the most common reasons for elderly people to end up in hospital. The survey of 36,000 patients also raised concerns about access to specialist care, the right drugs and support to prevent future falls.
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30 August 2010
Hospitals are 'still failing' on elderly patients' nutrition
Hospitals across the UK are not doing enough to spot elderly people at risk from malnutrition, says charity Age UK.
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30 August 2010
New test for mothers that could mark the end of unnecessary prolonged labours
A test which could stop women labouring for hours in the hope of a "normal" birth only to end up with a Caesarean section has been developed in Sweden.
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25 August 2010
Delayed operation left man severely disabled - £300k compensation
A 29 year old man received £300k in medical negligence compensation after delayed treatment of an infection in his hip left him severely disabled.
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25 August 2010
Record increase in NHS complaints
Written complaints about NHS hospital and community services in England has seen the biggest annual rise since records began over a decade ago.
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25 August 2010
Complaints against NHS hospitals
The number of complaints made about NHS hospital and community health services have reached a record high.
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25 August 2010
£28k compensation for elderly woman who fractured hip whilst in hospital
A 97 year old woman received £28,750 after she fractured her hip by falling from a hospital bed in March 2008.
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25 August 2010
£70k compensation for woman after bodged hip replacement surgery
A 55 year old woman, received £70k in compensation for injuries to her left leg sustained during an operation in March 2005.
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24 August 2010
New guide published on the standard of quality and safety of NHS hospitals
Medical negligence solicitor Adrian Desmond comments on the Care Quality Commission's new guide to the standard of quality and safety that can be expected in hospital.
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12 August 2010
Mismanaged labour and delivery led to death of baby
£30k awarded after their baby died due to medical staff mismanaging the labour and delivery of the baby.
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12 August 2010
Six day old baby died after negligent hospital care during labour and delivery
Parents recovered £50k in compensation after their baby died six days after being born.
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12 August 2010
NHS patients at risk
AVMA reports that NHS trusts are putting people at risk by failing to implement a critical system of safety alerts.
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12 August 2010
Incompetent staff and inadequate treatment at hospital
A 21 year old man has been awarded £14k after the little finger on his left non-dominant hand was misaligned following medical treatment in February 2006. The finger caused him pain when knocked and the injury is permanent.
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11 August 2010
Misdiagnosis of teenager's displaced fracture
A 14 year old boy was awarded £3.7k after he experienced pain and suffering following a misdiagnosis of his displaced femoral fracture in October 2007.
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08 August 2010
Re-growth of the spinal cord could be possible - spinal cord injury
US researchers have for the first time encouraged substantial regrowth in nerves controlling voluntary movement after spinal cord injury.
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08 August 2010
Inspirational - The Channel Challenge
Spinal cord injured James Wood is paralysed from the lower part of his chest down with no movement at all in his legs. He will be attempting to swim the 21 nautical miles between Dover and Cap Gris Nez the channel in September.
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04 August 2010
Cerebral palsy claims arising from home births
An editorial in this week's medical journal The Lancet on home births says that while a woman has the right to choose where and how to give birth, she does not have the right to put her baby at risk.
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04 August 2010
Medical negligence claims against the NHS
THE cost of settling negligence claims in the NHS over the next 15 years has risen to £15billion according to the annual report of the NHS Litigation Authority.
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03 August 2010
Care for pregnant women at risk?
The care of pregnant women in England is being undermined by the lack of involvement of GPs, experts say.
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03 August 2010
Foam baby mattresses could be causing severe allergic reactions
Boyes Turner’s personal injury lawyers are investigating a claim relating to a two week old baby who developed skin rashes and breathing problems possibly as a result of sleeping on a new Obaby foam mattress.
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02 August 2010
Safety in the NHS?
Action against Medical Accidents of which Boyes Turner is a long term supporter, is seeking assurances that patient safety work will not be diluted, following the Government announcement that the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) will be abolished as part of its cull of quangos announced last week.
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02 August 2010
Cuts to surgeons' hours have reduced patient safety
According to a survey by the Royal College of Surgeons, 80% of consultant surgeons and 66% of surgical trainees said patients were less safe due to the European Working Time Regulations.
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28 July 2010
Oxford hospital suspends child heart ops after four babies died
An independent report commissioned by the South Central Strategic Health Authority (SHA) states that child heart surgery will remain suspended at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford until improvements are made.
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28 July 2010
Hospital negligence - £25k compensation recovered for delay in diagnosing fractured wrist
A woman has received £25,000 in compensation. The A&E department diagnosed a sprained wrist and failed to carry out x-rays which would have identified the woman had fractured her wrist.
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28 July 2010
Paraplegic James Wood to swim Channel
39 year old paraplegic James Wood from Northampton who is hoping to become the first European with a fractured spine to swim across the English Channel.
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27 July 2010
Midwife struck off for death of baby
In November 2005, baby Lily died after a midwife failed to notice a drop in Lily’s heartbeat. As a result Lily was left struggling to survive in her mother’s womb, until a caesarean section was ordered some four hours later.
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26 July 2010
Babies born out of hours at greater risk of dying
The results of a recent study on neonatal death and stillbirths has found that the risk of death for babies born at night or at the weekend is a third higher than for those babies born between 9am and 5pm on Monday to Friday.
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21 July 2010
New guidance issued for treatment and care of stroke patients
Approximately 150,000 people in the UK suffer a stroke and 67,000 people die as a result every year. New comprehensive guidance about the care of stroke has been issued.
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21 July 2010
Drop in number of hospital doctors and nurses will impact on patient care
Statistics from the NHS Information Centre show the number of doctors and nurses in NHS hospitals is falling. Despite Government promises that frontline staff will be protected as health trusts endeavour to find £20 billion of 'efficiency savings' by 2014, the latest data suggests otherwise.
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21 July 2010
Doctors negligence - doctors feel unprepared to report incompetent colleagues
Over a third of US doctors who responded to a survey did not agree it was their responsibility to report colleagues who were incompetent or impaired.
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20 July 2010
Stillbirth and neonatal death rate falling
The Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) has published its Perinatal Mortality 2008 report today. Read a summary of the results here.
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19 July 2010
Care Quality Commission's investigation into GP out-of-hours provider Take Care Now
The Care Quality Commission has published its findings following an investigation into Take Care Now, the GP out-of-hours provider. The report reveals that Take Care Now did not act on previous warnings about the use of diamorphine.
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16 July 2010
Baby girl dies after hospital failed to diagnose blood posioning
Nine month old Aleesha Evans died after a doctor failed to diagnose that she was suffering from blood poisoning (septicaemia).
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14 July 2010
Welsh Assembly Redress Scheme
The NHS Redress (Wales) Measure was the first measure to pass through the Welsh Assembly. It is designed to reform the way the NHS handles complaints and claims for compensation but so far stakeholders have given it a lukewarm reception. The health minister has been forced to give further thought to some of the underlying principles of the scheme.
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13 July 2010
Research suggests cooling treatment can reduce baby brain damage
Babies who have been starved of oxygen at birth have much less risk of suffering brain damage if they are given mild hypothermia.
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13 July 2010
Poor nursing care and pressure ulcers
Pressure ulcers can cause serious pain and severe harm to patients and cost the NHS billions of pounds each year to treat. Yet in the majority of cases they can be prevented if simple measures are followed.
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13 July 2010
Negligent hospital care resulted in elderly woman requiring hip replacement after fall
An 80 year old woman was recently paid £100k in compensation after suffering a hip fracture and head injury whilst being cared for in hospital following surgery.
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12 July 2010
Care lacking for bereaved parents
A recent survey commissioned by the stillbirth charity Sands has found that more than half of UK maternity units are still lacking a dedicated bereavement support midwife.
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12 July 2010
For every 4 Lottery millionaires, the NHS pays someone £1m in compensation
More than 600 people have received payouts of £1million-plus in damages for injuries caused by negligent NHS care.
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11 July 2010
£45k compensation for woman whose bladder was punctured by a negligent surgeon
A 27 year old woman has recently been awarded £45,000 after she suffered a puncture to her bladder during an operation to remove her appendix.
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11 July 2010
Birth injuries are the reason behind the massive NHS medical negligence compensation bill
Negligent care during maternity has been identified as the common cause of the huge medical negligence compensation payouts made by the NHS in recent years.
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08 July 2010
Understaffed poorly equipped Welsh neonatal units are putting premature babies at risk
An assembly health committee report has deemed that vulnerable babies in Wales are at risk from understaffed, ill-equipped and over-crowded hospital facilities.
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08 July 2010
APIL reaches 20-year milestone
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers celebrated 20 years of fighting for the rights of injured people this week.
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05 July 2010
Scope launches new web based evaluation tool
Celebrate Every Step is an exciting new web-based tool from Scope that will enable practitioners and parents to celebrate and track the progress of young children with physical, sensory and learning needs.
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04 July 2010
£200k compensation for woman left with permanent anal incontinence
A 38 year old woman received £200k in compensation after hospital staff were negligent in the management of the delivery of her baby leaving her with permanent anal incontinence.
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29 June 2010
Cerebral Palsy compensation - £4 million payout for 6yr old girl starved of oxygen at birth
A six-year-old Kidderminster girl has been awarded a £4 million compensation payout after complications during her birth left her severely disabled.
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29 June 2010
Cerebral Palsy caused by delayed birth - multimillion-pound compensation award
A six-year-old Wearside boy has been awarded multimillion-pound damages after mistakes at his birth left him severely disabled.
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24 June 2010
Can bowel problems after childbirth be caused by medical negligence?
Up to one in every 10 new mums have bowel problems as a result of childbirth. But many do not know that they can get help, or where to go.
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23 June 2010
Major deficiencies found in the way hospitals provide artificial nutrition to sick babies
The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death has reported major shortcomings in the way artificial nutrition is given to sick and premature babies. Problems were found in three quarters of the intravenous feeding it cases examined.
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23 June 2010
Birth Injury claim settles for £1.9 million lump sum plus annual payments for life
An 11 year old girl has been awarded £1.9 million in compensation as a lump sum plus significant additional annual payments after medical staff delayed in delivering her in November 1997. As a result she suffered asymmetric mixed spastic dystonic tetraplegia and will never be functionally independent.
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20 June 2010
Surgery targets endanger patient safety, failings in patient care
Findings from a recent survey suggest that pressures over hospital budgets and targets may be damaging patient safety in operating theatres.
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20 June 2010
Paul Maynard - the first MP with cerebral palsy to be elected to the Houses of Parliament
Boyes Turner extends warm congratulations to Paul Maynard the new MP for Blackpool North who we believe is the first MP with cerebral palsy to be elected to the Houses of Parliament. He writes an interesting article about the election, his CP and his thoughts about disability and making a difference in the June edition of 'Disability Now'.
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14 June 2010
Misdiagnosis: £75k clinical negligence compensation settlement over teenager’s death
A teenager’s family has been awarded £75k in compensation after he was mistakenly diagnosed with viral meningitis and later died of a brain haemorrhage.
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08 June 2010
£900k lump sum plus £176k per year compensation after hospital fail to diagnose
A 73 year old woman received £900k in medical negligence compensation as a lump sum, plus payments of £176k per year thereafter following a hospital's failure to diagnose and treat a spinal abscess. As a result she became tetraplegic, was incontinent, relied on the use of a wheelchair and had to live in a care home.
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07 June 2010
£35k compensation - hospital failed to appropriately treat pressure sore
A man who had to endure a number of extensive surgical procedures and a prolonged period of pain and suffering succeeded in a medical negligence claim against a hospital trust after it was failed to adequately treat his gangrenous pressure sore without delay.
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01 June 2010
Negligent paediatric surgeon in Manchester
Hospital chiefs face calls for an inquiry after claims they ignored repeated warnings about the competence of a paediatric surgeon found guilty of misconduct.
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27 May 2010
Teenage thrombosis and blood clots - more common than we realise
A healthy 19 year old girl was found to have three blood clots in her leg after her teacher urged her to go to the Doctors. She had thought she was too young to have blood clots and could have died.
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26 May 2010
14 month old baby died after delay in treating hypokalaemia at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham
A Birmingham hospital has apologised to the family of a 14 month old boy for failures that led to his death in October 2008. Elyas Nasserulddin Albana died at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham because hospital staff failed to treat his low potassium levels (hypokalemia).
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25 May 2010
£40k compensation for grade four pressure sore
£40k in compensation was awarded to the estate of a deceased woman who had suffered a grade four pressure sore prior to her death as a result of hospital negligence.
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19 May 2010
New guidelines introduced: jaundice and kernicterus in new born babies
The health watchdog has recommended that all newborns with suspected jaundice should be given a blood test to check for this condition, which can in rare cases be fatal.
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16 May 2010
£235k in compensation - failure to diagnose tear caused by childbirth
A 25-year-old woman received £235k in compensation after a hospital failed to diagnose that she had torn her anal sphincter whilst delivering her child in April 2004.
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12 May 2010
BMA study says NHS doctors have whistle-blowing fear
Many hospital doctors are too scared to raise concerns about patient care or staff behaviour in case it affects their career, according to a survey which found 40% of the 384 doctors questioned do not report issues of concern.
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06 May 2010
Family of tetraplegic cerebral palsy sufferer secures over £6 million in compensation
The family of a girl who suffers from tetraplegic cerebral palsy as a result of mistakes made during her birth has been awarded in excess of £6 million in compensation.
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06 May 2010
Cerebral Palsy Baby - Parents "robbed of the baby we should have had"
As little Ruby Hanson celebrates her first birthday today, her parents are coming to terms with the cerebral palsy they believe was the result of medical negligence when she was born at North Devon District Hospital.
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06 May 2010
Parents awarded compensation after son born with cerebral palsy after hospital error
A mother whose son was starved of oxygen at birth leaving him disabled has been granted compensation to pay for his care.
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06 May 2010
Nurses cover for night GPs
A Daily Mail survey reveals that out-of-hours care on the NHS is now so bad that thousands of patients are being treated by nurses instead of doctors because they are cheaper to employ.
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04 May 2010
£18k compensation - denial of basic hospital treatment
A patient at Amersham Hospital was left with serious pressure sores after a routine hip operation. The 46 year old developed pressure sores to both of his hips after the surgery in May 2007.
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03 May 2010
Significant cerebral palsy compensation payout for girl
A five year old girl left severely disabled because of alleged failings at birth has received a seven figure payout in damages. She requires round-the-clock care after oxygen starvation in the womb left her with cerebral palsy.
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29 April 2010
Judgment secured against Leeds General Infirmary following traumatic birth injury
In April 2010 specialist cerebral palsy solicitor Adrian Desmond from Reading based law firm Boyes Turner secured Judgment against Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for damages to be assessed in favour of a 5-year old child who suffered suffered a left-sided hemiplegia at his birth in 2004.
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28 April 2010
Cerebral palsy teenager disabled at birth is awarded £6.5 million in compensation
A young girl, now aged 15 was starved of oxygen during her birth resulting in severe cerebral palsy. She is unable to talk or walk without help and requires round-the-clock care. She sustained her injuries at Bridgend's Princess of Wales Hospital.
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28 April 2010
Maternal mortality: how many women die in childbirth in your country?
Just as many women die in pregnancy and childbirth in the UK as they were 20 years ago, leaving Britain trailing behind countries like Albania, Poland and Slovakia as well as the wealthier nations of Europe.
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28 April 2010
Failure to adequately assess overdose patient
The mother of an 18 year old boy who died as a result of inadequate assessment by hospital staff following his overdose has been awarded over £100k in compensation for her own suffering and on behalf of her son's estate.
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28 April 2010
Will the planned A&E closures lead to more mistakes?
Doctors working in accident and emergency say plans to downgrade some services are based on flawed evidence.
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28 April 2010
Compensation agreement for sofa burn victims
Over 1000 victims of the toxic sofa litigation are to have their claims settled following an agreement by lawyers acting for customers and insurers for Argos, Homebase, Walmsley Furnishings, Land of Leather and some smaller companies following admissions of liability for the injuries.
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27 April 2010
Sweet factory fined £300k for tragic employee machine death
The UK's largest confectionery firm has been fined a total of £300k after an employee was crushed to death in one of its sweet-making machines.
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27 April 2010
Factory boss fined for safety breaches after worker falls through roof
A director of a manufacturing company has been fined for health and safety breaches after an employee fell through a roof at a site in Cradley Heath.
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27 April 2010
Engineering services firm is fined after worker fell from a height
A South Yorkshire engineering service company has been fined £1k after a worker crushed his vertebra and fractured two bones in his back when he fell almost four metres.
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27 April 2010
Sole trader fined £15k - employee broke his leg after 3 metre fall from roof
A sole trader who erects farms buildings has been fined £15k after his employee broke his leg when he fell three metres from the roof of an Aberdeenshire farm building.
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27 April 2010
Cerebral Palsy Claim - disabled girl's £7m compensation payout from NHS
A disabled girl who was starved of oxygen at birth has been awarded up to £7 million in compensation from the NHS.
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26 April 2010
£20m pay-out for 'toxic sofa' chemical burn victims
A number of High Street chains have agreed to pay up to £20m to 2,000 people who received chemical burns from anti-fungal agents in sofas.
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26 April 2010
Compensation pay-outs for victims of Toxic Sofa Syndrome
Argos and other retailers are paying out compensation of up to €50k to Irish customers who developed burn-like rashes and blisters from a chemical used to protect sofas during shipping and storage.
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26 April 2010
High court orders compensation for hundreds after buying ‘toxic sofas’
The High Court has ruled that hundreds of customers who were injured and burned by "toxic sofas" manufactured in China are to share a payout totalling up to £20m. Argos, Land of Leather and Walmsleys have admitted liability.
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25 April 2010
Baby was still born as a result of hospital negligence - £35k compensation
A couple recently received £35k in compensation after their son was still born due to the negligence of hospital staff.
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21 April 2010
Compensation for woman who sustained burns to her body during hysterectomy surgery
A woman received £12k in compensation for a diathermy burn she sustained on her thigh during an operation.
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18 April 2010
Failure to diagnose appendicitis - £35k compensation
A 27 year old man received £35k in compensation after a hospital failed to diagnose that he was suffering from appendicitis. As a result, his appendix ruptured and he experienced unnecessary pain and suffering along with a prolonged recovery period.
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15 April 2010
£2.4 million compensation - delay in diagnosis and treatment of meningitis left boy with cerebral palsy
A nine-year-old boy has been awarded £2.4 million plus annual payments of £130k until the age of 19 and £200k thereafter for the rest of his life, after an NHS trust admitted liability for causing his cerebral palsy after failing to diagnose and treat his meningitis.
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11 April 2010
Compensation for couple who's baby was stillborn due to medical negligence
A couple received £33k in compensation after their baby was stillborn as a result of inadequate fetal monitoring by negligent medical staff.
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07 April 2010
Accident at work - man's arm crushed by metal machinery
A worker at a Shropshire factory had to be airlifted to hospital after his arm became trapped between a lifting device and a roll of metal.
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31 March 2010
Top hospitals 'censured in tough new inspection regime' - NHS trusts now need licences
A dozen NHS trusts in England have been told to improve or face tough sanctions. All 378 trusts need a licence from the Care Quality Commission to work in the NHS under a new regime from 1 April.
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31 March 2010
NHS blunders covered up?
Hospitals are covering up fatal blunders by doctors and issuing misleading information about accidents to patients’ families, The Sunday Times reported this week.
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31 March 2010
Failure to diagnose lung cancer for two years – six figure sum awarded to widower
In a clear case of medical negligence, a man whose wife died from lung cancer has been awarded a six-figure sum by the NHS trust which failed to spot the disease.
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31 March 2010
Health Board apologises to family of Erbs Palsy boy
The parents of a Pembrokeshire boy, left with severe physical birth injuries as a result of errors made by health care professionals, have received a formal apology from Hywel Dda Health Board after a five-year battle for answers.
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30 March 2010
£500k compensation for 23 year old woman left infertile
A woman has received over £500k in compensation from the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust after she was left infertile after delayed diagnosis of cervial cancer.
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30 March 2010
£3.45m compensation for woman left brain damaged by hospital
A woman who was left brain damaged while undergoing treatment for gallstones has been awarded £3.45m in compensation.
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28 March 2010
Accident at work - painter left brain damaged after head injury caused by fall at work
The directors of a decorating firm were prosecuted after an accident at work left a worker brain damaged.
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28 March 2010
Head injury accident at work - Apprentice joiner injured in fall
Scotia Homes Ltd was fined after a 17-year-old apprentice joiner fell from the first floor of a house sustaining head injury.
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26 March 2010
NHS safety alerts jump by a quarter in six months
Latest figures show the number of reported safety alerts involving NHS patients has risen sharply, with nearly 500,000 incidents in six months with 473,162 incidents were reported between April and September last year, compared with 379,345 in the same period in 2008.
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25 March 2010
Medical Negligence: NHS target for A&E treatment 'risks patient safety'
Doctors say a key NHS target - to treat people visiting accident and emergency units within four hours - is compromising care and patient safety.
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25 March 2010
High death rates at 25 NHS trusts a result of medical negligence?
Professor Jarman believes the self-assessment system for NHS trusts is flawed and that twenty-five of them should be investigated over higher than normal death rates after 4,600 more patients died at those trusts in 2007-08 than would be expected.
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25 March 2010
Inaccurate X-rays lead to misdiagnosis and medical negligence claims
Recent research undertaken by US doctors found that standard x-rays fail to spot up to nearly a third of fractures of the hip and pelvis leading to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and subsequent medical negligence claims.
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24 March 2010
One in five child deaths due to potentially preventable infections
The Health Protection Agency has found that as many as 1 in 5 deaths in children in England and Wales is due to potentially preventable infections, with half of the 1,300 infection-related deaths occurring in children with other health problems including prematurity, cerebral palsy and cancer.
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24 March 2010
Inadequate maternity services for obese women
A recent independant survey carried out by the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries showed that UK maternity units are short of basic equipment like extra-wide operating tables and beds. It also showed that obese pregnant women are not getting the right advice and assessments.
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24 March 2010
A licence for NHS Trusts to practice? A new system for monitoring standards announced
From 1 April, 381 NHS trusts in England will have to be registered with the Care Quality Comission by law to provide care. To be registered, trusts must show they meet new essential standards of quality and safety, which the regulator will constantly monitor.
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23 March 2010
Parents bring medical negligence claim against two hospitals for psychological injuries incurred following death of their four day old baby
A couple were awarded £44k in compensation after their four day old baby died following a series of negligent errors and misjudgements of medical staff at two separate hospitals.
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15 March 2010
Adrian Desmond secures Judgment against hospital
Specialist cerebral palsy lawyer Adrian Desmond acted for a boy whose dystonic cerebral palsy was caused by negligence of the doctors and midwives before his delivery.
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11 March 2010
Government consultation announced on dangerous dogs law
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, has announced that there will be a consultation on whether current law on dangerous dogs properly protects the public and encourages responsible dog ownership.
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10 March 2010
Patients' medical records go on NHS database without consent
The aim of the new NHS database is to hold the private records of more than 50 million patients, but concerns have been raised about the security of the private information held on the system and how it will be protected from hackers.
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03 March 2010
Hospital negligence and delay in diagnosis leads to removal of a kidney
A 41-year-old woman received £125k in compensation after significant delays to her referral and treatment. As a result her right kidney had to be removed and she subsequently suffered lyphodema and debilitating pain.
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02 March 2010
FOCIS response to CDF provisional final draft amended clinical negligence protocol
Response from the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors to the CDF Provisional Final Draft Amended Clinical Negligence Protocol.
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02 March 2010
FOCIS response to CJC 'Cost of care consultation'
Response from the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors to the Civil Justice Council's 'Cost of care in Personal Injury Claims' Consultation.
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25 February 2010
Hospital left patients 'sobbing and humiliated'
Following an investigation into one of the worst NHS scandals in history, BBC News recently reported how hospital patients were left "sobbing and humiliated" by uncaring staff.
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24 February 2010
Paraplegia caused by inadequate monitoring equipment and surgeon failure
NHS Trust and surgeon found negligent after a patient was left paraplegic following negligent spinal surgery.
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17 February 2010
8 month delay in diagnosis of breast cancer - negligent GP
A 48-year-old woman recently received £5,460 after she suffered a delay of 8 months in being referred to a breast clinic and having her breast cancer diagnosed.
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15 February 2010
Cerebral Palsy caused by negligent midwifery staff - significant compensation for 6 year old boy
In a recent case a 6 year old boy wasd awarded significant compensation for his cerebral palsy caused by negligent midwifery staff.
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10 February 2010
Gross negligence and manslaughter - negligent German locum GP
On the 4 February 2010 a coroner ruled that the death of a 70-year-old patient who was administered a tenfold overdose by an "incompetent" German GP was unlawful killing.
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10 February 2010
£4.5 million in compensation for paralysed TV Reporter abandoned by neurosurgeon
Andrew Brown, a former CNN report, has settled his claim against consultant neurosurgeon David Sandeman in the sum of ₤4.5 million plus Brown’s legal costs.
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08 February 2010
Parliament moves towards compensation for asbestos pleural plaques victims
The Damages (Asbestos-Related Conditions) Bills were debated in both Houses of Parliament at the same time on Friday 5 February 2010. If passed, the Bills will allow pleural plaques sufferers to claim compensation for their asbestos exposure.
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08 February 2010
‘Unacceptable’ major trauma care in England
There is unacceptable variation in major trauma care in England depending upon where and when people are treated, according to a National Audit Office report.
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08 February 2010
£2 million awarded to 14 year old for medical negligence before and during her birth
In October 2009 a 14-year-old girl received £2 million in compensation for alleged negligence by medical staff prior to and during her birth in July 1995.
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03 February 2010
Cerebral Palsy Claim - £5.6m compensation payout for brain damaged girl
A girl who was starved of oxygen at birth and suffered severe brain damage, has been awarded £5.6m compensation.
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03 February 2010
The cost of failure - £12.7bn NHS National Programme for IT
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02 February 2010
GP Medical Negligence judgement - failure to diagnose cauda equina syndrome
Medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond secures High Court judgement for a man who's GP failed to diagnose his cauda equina syndrome.
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02 February 2010
Claim against GP for failure to diagnose a man's Cauda Equina Syndrome
Medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond secured a High Court judgement for a 40 year old man after GP failed to diagnose cauda equina syndrome.
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02 February 2010
£30k in compensation for neurological and functional losses suffered following delays
A 42 year old man received £30k in compensation for neurological and functional losses suffered following delays and alleged negligent failings by an NHS Trust in providing treatment between October 2004 and February 2005.
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29 January 2010
More than just a bad hair day...
The BBC “One Show” television programme on 27 January 2010 highlighted the problems which can arise on a visit to the hairdresser.
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29 January 2010
Pleural Plaques Sufferers - a ray of light?
There have been recent reports in various newspapers that the Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, is to announce a new package for asbestos sufferers, including a potential one-off payment for people suffering from pleural plaques.
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29 January 2010
Judgment secured against Frimley Park Hospital - failure to diagnose child's meningitis
Medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond from Boyes Turner secured judgment against Frimley Park Hospital in Hampshire following the failure by that hospital to treat meningitis in a boy now aged 12.
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29 January 2010
Judgment secured against Northwick Park Hospital
On 13 January 2010, specialist cerebral palsy lawyer Adrian Desmond from Boyes Turner secured judgment against Northwick Park Hospital in North West London for damages to be assessed in favour of a 5 year old girl who was delivered at the hospital in 2004.
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27 January 2010
Child drug errors 'too frequent'
A snap-shot study by the University of London of five hospitals in the city found 13% of the 3,000 prescriptions they examined had an error and a fifth of drugs given to children in these hospitals during 2004 and 2005 were administered incorrectly.
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19 January 2010
Success for pleural plaques sufferers as insurers fail to overturn Scottish Compensation Act
Pleural plaques sufferers in Scotland received good news at the start of the year when a number of leading insurance firms failed to overturn the Scottish asbestos compensation Act. The Act was put in place to overrule the 2007 House of Lords decision which prevented pleural plaques sufferers from recovering compensation.
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15 January 2010
Damaging Review of Civil Litigation Costs
Lord Justice Jackson's recommendations about legal costs in his report published yesterday attack, as predicted, the soft target of personal injury claimants.
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15 January 2010
Lord Justice Jackson’s Review of Civil Litigation Costs
Lord Justice Jackson's recommendations about legal costs in his report published yesterday attack, as predicted, the soft target of personal injury claimants.
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08 January 2010
Snow & ice - adverse weather condition claims
Bad weather conditions across the UK have caused widespread disruption.
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08 January 2010
Stafford hospital branded Britain’s worst NHS Trust
Two years ago an unpublished report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) identified problems at Stafford hospital. The report concluded that the hospital’s surgical team was “dysfunctional” and recommended that surgeons take “psychological assessments” to improve working relationships.
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23 December 2009
Pleural plaques announcement still a no-show
A written answer has been published in response to Chloe Smith MP’s question which asks when the Ministry of Justice will provide its response to the consultation on providing compensation to people with pleural plaques.
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23 December 2009
Compensation for family of man who died from mesothelioma - Fawley refinery
Our industrial disease lawyers secured £316k for the wife and son of a man who died 4 months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma. He had been exposed to asbestos whilst working at Esso's Fawley refinery in the 1960's.
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23 December 2009
NHS maternity unit where baby died was ‘short of midwives’ despite warnings from health watchdog only last year
Maternity services at Milton Keynes general hospital where newborn baby Ebony McCall died and mothers in labour were left unattended due to a shortage of midwives were "nothing short of scandalous".
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15 December 2009
National crackdown as NHS forced to log all errors
Hospitals, GPs' surgeries and all other healthcare providers will in future have to log every time a patient is harmed or dies while receiving treatment.
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15 December 2009
Care Quality Commission loses Chairman over patient safety debate
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01 December 2009
NHS 'must get better at early cancer diagnosis'
The second annual report following the Cancer Reform Strategy in 2007 has found that there is a considerable regional variation in cancer outcomes and services across the UK and looks particularly at the one year survival rates as an indicator for the early diagnosis of cancers, which in turn leads to improved outcomes.
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26 November 2009
Ordeal of mums left alone in labour 'due to a midwives shortage'
Mothers have attacked NHS maternity care with more than one in three saying they were left alone and distressed during labour.
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24 November 2009
Boyes Turner continues to represent sofa burn victims
Boyes Turner solicitors in Reading continues to deal with hundreds of cases on behalf of injured sofa burn victims.
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23 November 2009
NHS suspends private care after two negligent deaths
A new government scheme providing "private care on the NHS'' for 50,000 people has been suspended after two patients died.
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20 November 2009
Doctors told to say sorry to patients more often in a bid to reduce litigation costs
The NHS is asking doctors and nurses to be more honest and open when things go wrong and offer an apology to the patient or their family.
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18 November 2009
NHS Trust prosecuted over death of woman after epidural drug was injected
The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting the Great Western Hospital NHS Trust over alleged "safety breaches" following the death of a 30 year old mother hours after the birth of her son in 2004.
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11 November 2009
NHS must do more to prevent harm to patients from prescribed medicines
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has raised concerns about the risk of harm to patients caused as a result of failures to monitor and review prescribed medications on discharge from Hospital to the community.
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06 November 2009
NHS Healtcare rated as equal to the best in the world
Britain's family doctors, not particularly renowned for their optimism about the NHS, have rated the health care delivered in the UK as equal to the best in the world.
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06 November 2009
Government pull the plug on funding to bring neonatal care up to standard
Ministers have stopped funding to bring the care of the sickest babies up to the standard for adults, in a sign of the impact of the recession on the NHS.
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06 November 2009
Ministers reject call to invest £89m a year in NHS neonatal units
Ministers have pulled the plug on funding to bring the care of the sickest babies up to the standard for adults, in a sign of the impact of the credit crunch on the NHS.
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03 November 2009
Battle on NHS gagging orders
A woman has defied a gagging order to speak out publicly about her victory over the NHS in a funding wrangle.
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02 November 2009
Common misspellings of 'cerebral palsy'
People often spell the words cerebral palsy incorrectly.
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28 October 2009
Gagging clauses stop truth coming out about NHS patient safety
The British Medical Journal has accused an NHS trust of trying to impose a gagging clause on a consultant as part of a deal to terminate his employment. It is alleged that the deal is intended to prevent him speaking out about issues of patient safety.
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27 October 2009
SCOPE is successful in fight to save disability living allowance
UK Disability charity SCOPE have been victorious in their campaign to save Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance.
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19 October 2009
Asbestos cancer victim’s widow awarded £300k payout - Fawley Refinery worker
Boyes Turner's specialist industrial disease lawyers helped a widow who lost her husband to asbestos-related cancer more than 40 years after he started work at Fawley Refinery win over £300k in damages.
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19 October 2009
Pleural plaques victims are one step nearer to justice
On Friday 14 October 2009 The Damages (Asbestos Related Conditions) Bill passed through the House of Commons. If it becomes law it will overturn the 2007 Law Lords Ruling denying compensation payments to sufferers of pleural plaques.
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12 October 2009
U-TURN: NHS turns to no win, no fee legal representation
The NHS is turning to no win, no fee legal representation – despite being a persistent critic of the practice according to an original article published by the BBC. Boyes Turner's Adrian Desmond comments.
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12 October 2009
NHS wastes £500m a year on unused drugs
It has been revealed that the NHS loses up to £500million a year on drugs unused by patients.
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12 October 2009
Rate of medication errors in nursing homes is 'unacceptable'
Research published this month shows an alarming rate of medication errors in nursing homes with 7 out of 10 nursing home residents being exposed to medication errors.
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12 October 2009
NHS mistakes 'harming thousands'
It has been reported that in a six month period over 5700 patients in England died or suffered serious harm due to NHS medical errors.
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12 October 2009
48-hour weeks for hospital staff are 'killing' NHS patients
Senior doctors say NHS patients are dying as a result of new European Union rules that impose a 48-hour week on hospital staff.
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08 October 2009
Farmer trampled by cows - Animal attack injury
Farmer injured after he was trampled by cattle.
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01 October 2009
Boyes Turner launches Berkshire Asbestos Support Group (BASG)
Reading law firm Boyes Turner has set up a support group for sufferers of asbestos disease and their families.
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01 October 2009
NHS fails to make top 10 health systems in Europe
According to analysts Britain’s health care system is just ahead of Slovenia and the Czech Republic among European nations.
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28 September 2009
Compensation for e-coli outbreak at Godstone Farm
The number of cases arising from the E-coli outbreak at Godstone Farm in Surrey has risen to 64. Those infected may have a claim for compensation against the owners of the farm.
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28 September 2009
Stafford inquiry 'adds insult to injury'
Patient safety charity Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) is disappointed and frustrated by the limited terms of reference imposed on the independent inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
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28 September 2009
Research links 'death rates rise' with arrival of junior doctors
Researchers say they have found a small but statistically significant increase in the number of patients who die each year when junior doctors start work.
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28 September 2009
Compensation payout for mother’s death after caesarean section
The family of a woman who died during a caesarean section at a Buckinghamshire hospital has been awarded £410k in compensation by the High Court.
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28 September 2009
Proposals to impose a legally binding "duty of candour" on healthcare providers
The Department of Health considers imposing a legally binding "duty of candour" on hospitals, surgeries and other healthcare providers ensuring NHS managers and staff admit to patients when an error has led to harm, explain what went wrong and apologise.
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21 September 2009
Fatal cattle and animal attacks
This article comes in the wake of a fourth fatal trampling incident involving charging cows this year and a widely reported injury to former Home Secretary David Blunkett, when he broke his rib after a trampling incident when walking his dog in June.
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21 September 2009
Accidents on holiday - compensation claims
Whilst thousands of holidaymakers enjoyed a relaxing break abroad this summer, there were also a number of tragedies following accidents abroad - many involving children or young adults.
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10 September 2009
How do couples support each other during and after a traumatic birth?
A research project at University College London is looking at how couples try to help each other through a traumatic birth and the post-traumatic difficulties that can develop afterwards.
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10 September 2009
£1.6 million negligent spinal surgery compensation - wheelchair bound and incontinent
Man awarded £1.6 million after hospital failed to remove a bulging lumbar disc and instead caused a dural tear.
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10 September 2009
Medical negligence - £1.6 million awarded to man who was left wheelchair bound
A man was awarded £1.6 million after negligent surgery to remove a bulging lumbar disc in his back left him with permanent damage to his bladder, bowel and sexual function and suffering constant and untreataeble neuropathic pain in both feet and legs.
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10 September 2009
Surgical negligence - inadequate anaesthesia administered prior to surgical removal of retained placenta
A 34-year-old woman received £12k in compensation after she was inadequately anaethesised and therefore suffered pain during the surgical removal of a retained placenta and subsequently experienced post traumatic stress disorder.
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10 September 2009
NHS blunders double in 3 years
There has been a dramatic rise in the number of medical mistakes involving NHS patients, with more than twice as many incidents reported to the official watchdog over a three-year period.
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10 September 2009
Medical negligence and birth injuries - brachial plexus injury caused at birth
A 14-year-old girl received provisional damages of £320k after suffering shoulder dystocia during her birth in November 1994. She sustained a right-sided brachical plexus injury and developed curvature of the spine.
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26 August 2009
Patient Association publishes report on 'cruel and neglectful' standards of care within the NHS
A report published by the Patients Association (PA) today identifies a consistent pattern of 'cruel and neglectful' standards of care within the NHS.
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25 August 2009
Boyes Turner launches seven major birth injury cerebral palsy claims this summer
Specialist cerebral palsy and birth injury lawyers at Boyes Turner launch seven claims this summer.
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25 August 2009
Pensioner "not ill enough to qualify for funding" according to NHS Trust
A pensioner suffering from Alzheimer's disease has been refunded £110,000 in care home fees after Dorset NHS Trust wrongly claimed she was not ill enough to qualify for funding.
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25 August 2009
10% of hospital admissions suffered some form of harm
A report on patient safety over the summer found that as many as 10% of hospital admissions suffered some form of harm. It recommended that all hospitals conduct regular sample case note reviews to provide a clear indicator of local performance in making services safer.
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25 August 2009
All hospitals with an A & E department should provide acute oncology services
The National Chemotherapy Advisory Group (NCAG) have recommended that all hospitals with an emergency department should provide acute oncology services to ensure the correct treatment of emergency cancer patients.
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18 August 2009
Delay in diagnosis and negligently administering chemotherapy - £250k compensation claim
A 55 year old man received £250,000 when his wife died of neutropenic sepsis after receiving chemotherapy treatment.
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09 August 2009
Surgery negligence claim - woman suffered left-sided facial paralysis following operation
A 51 year old woman received £50,000 after she suffered left-sided facial paralysis following an operation.
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06 August 2009
Pressure sore compensation claim - paraplegic receives £32,500 in compensation
A 64 year old man received £32,500 after he sustained pressure sores to his buttocks whilst staying at the defendant hospital. A black pressure sore on his left buttock took approximately five months to heal but left an obvious scar and the area would be prone to developing pressure sores in the future.
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29 July 2009
Hospital Negligence - failure to act on pregnant woman's blood test results
A 29-year-old woman received £50k after she suffered a post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) and subsequently underwent a hysterectomy as a result of hospital negligence.
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27 July 2009
Hospital fails to diagnose torn achilles tendon - £8k compensation
A 46-year-old man received £8,000 after a hospital failed to diagnose a tear of his achilles tendon in August 2005. He required surgery and was unable to return to carry out all his duties at work for approximately eight months.
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22 July 2009
Further Delay for Pleural Plaque Victims
The Government was due to make an announcement on whether pleural plaques sufferers can receive any compensation on 21st July, but yet again the decision was delayed and no announcement will now be made until October.
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20 July 2009
Hospital negligence caused delay in diagnosis of breast cancer
In a shocking case, a 50-year-old woman received £10k in medical negligence compensation for a hospital's failure to carry out a mammogram in December 2005, leading to a delay in diagnosing breast cancer.
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20 July 2009
GP Surgery Negligence - nurses left gauze in woman's surgical wound for 6 weeks
A 40-year-old woman received £13.5k in medical negligence compensation after a gauze pack was left inside her surgical wound in July 2005.
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16 July 2009
Health Committee slams NHS in patient safety report
A Health Committee report has slammed the NHS for failing to collect evidence about whether patients are any safer after a decade of initiatives to stop harm.
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05 July 2009
NHS is not learning from its mistakes - patient safety still under threat
The House of Commons Health Committee has revealed in a 100 page report on NHS medical negligence that the basic changes recommended after a cancer drug error killed a teenage boy have still not been implemented - eight years after he died.
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17 June 2009
Medical negligence and children - report finds 70 children died and 20,000 suffered injury
A report on the safety of NHS care for children found that during 2007/8 more than 70 children died and 20,000 suffered injury or harm following mistakes in medical care.
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17 June 2009
8 injured as Council van hits bus queue - Road traffic accident
Serious road traffic accident in Reading, Berkshire. Specialist personal injury lawyer Kim Smerdon comments.
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17 June 2009
Spinal injuries sustained after Council van hits bus queue
Pedestrians injured in serious road traffic accident.
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15 June 2009
Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) patients 'failed' by doctors
BBC News has reported on a national inquiry which found that Doctors have been failing patients who develop emergency kidney problems in hospital.
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14 June 2009
Costs of clinical negligence litigation under review
Adrian Desmond, Boyes Turner's medical negligence expert and Chairman of the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors (FOCIS) discusses the review of of the costs of clinical negligence litigation with Lord Justice Jackson.
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14 June 2009
Lord Justice Jackson's Review of the Costs of Clinical Negligence Litigation
Adrian Desmond, Chariman of the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors (FOCIS) met with Lord Justice Jackson this month to discuss his review of the costs of clinical negligence litigation. The review is currently in its second consultative phase which ends on July 31.
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07 June 2009
NHS trust ordered to apologise to relatives after man bled to death
A public services ombudsman report has criticised the former North Glamorgan Trust saying delaued diagnosis and negligent hospital staff caused the death of Myron Hall, 47.
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13 May 2009
Shortage of consultants puts babies’ lives at risk
The spotlight has recently been turned on the country’s NHS maternity units – many of which do not have enough consultants to deliver babies safely round the clock and look after women during childbirth.
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13 May 2009
Cerebral Palsy sufferer allowed to proceed with medical negligence claim
A case has recently been reported about a man who was entitled to proceed with his claim for damages against a health authority some time after the statutory limitation period
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10 May 2009
£23k compensation for parents whose baby was stillborn due to negligent management of mother's labour
A 34-year-old couple together received £23k in compensation after their baby was stillborn due to the negligent management of the mother's labour by hospital staff. They both suffered psychiatric injuries and subsequently attended counselling.
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07 May 2009
£1.9 million in compensation - woman's bladder damaged after childbirth
In the case of Warrilow v Norfolk & Norwich NHS Trust (2006) a 39-year-old woman received £1.9 million in compensation following damage to her bladder after she gave birth as a result of negligent hospital care.
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29 April 2009
£20k compensation for mother whose 1 year old child died from receiving negligent medical treatment
A woman received £20k in compensation after her one year old daughter died from receiving negligent medical treatment from a hospital. As a result she suffered from psychiatric problems which were expected to last for approximately four years subject to her undergoing therapy.
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23 April 2009
AvMA calls for Government to make new law for medical negligence
Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA - the charity for patient safety & justice) has launched a campaign for the introduction of a legal duty of candour in healthcare in the UK.
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16 April 2009
22 year old wins £30k compensation for negligent surgery undertaken when she was 4
A 22-year-old woman received £30k in medical negligence compensation for the 17cm keloid scar and a distorted navel that she was left with following negligent surgery at the age of 4.
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13 April 2009
Celebrity footballer helps raise awareness of cerebral palsy
BBC News has reported on the benefits of high profile celebrity footballer Phil Neville in helping to raise awareness of cerebral palsy and bring it under the public spotlight.
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02 April 2009
Breakthrough - NHS complaints and litigation
The Department of Health has confirmed that the current bar on people having an NHS complaint investigated if they have started or intend to start litigation to recover compensation is to be lifted.
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02 April 2009
New independent regulator for the NHS
From 1 April 2009 the Care Quality Commission takes over responsibility for independent regulation of the NHS from the Healthcare Commission.
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02 April 2009
Concern over inappropriate diagnosis and treatment of thyroid problems
It has been reported that the number of people being inappropriately misdiagnosed and treated for underactivity of the thyroid gland is rising.
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31 March 2009
Compensation awarded to man for medical negligence of prison medical staff
In a recent case, a 58-year-old man made a medical negligence compensation claim and received £12.5k in damages for the perforated gastric ulcer that developed as a result of negligent prison medical staff.
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18 March 2009
Failing hospital 'caused deaths'
According to the NHS Watchdog, Stafford Hospital's "appalling" emergency care resulted in hundreds of patients dying needlessly. Boyes Turner's medical negligence compensation lawyer, Stephen Underwood, comments.
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06 March 2009
Watchdog calls for the NHS to get responses to complaints 'right first time'
Some NHS trusts are still not responding to complaints effectively or learning lessons from them, this is the finding of a recent report on complaints in the NHS.
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06 March 2009
NHS Trust liable for cerebral palsy caused by obstetrician's failure to act
An NHS trust was liable for cerebral palsy suffered by a baby as a result of an obstetrician's failure to intervene timeously in its delivery.
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06 March 2009
£22k compensation - delayed diagnosis of ruptured achilles tendon
Here we look at a case where a 51-year-old man received £22k in compensation for the suffering he experienced following delay in hospital staff providing a correct diagnosis of a ruptured Achilles tendon in June 2005. He was unable to resume full work duties for approximately one year after the accident.
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04 March 2009
Stillbirth rate 'still too high'
According to a recent UK report the number of stillbirths and deaths shortly after birth remains high, claiming 17 babies every day on average in the UK and nearly 6,500 babies a year. The stillbirth rate has not changed for a decade despite a relative increase in midwives and consultant obstetricians, and increased investment in the field. Leading medical negligence lawyer Susan Brown comments.
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26 February 2009
Adrian Desmond of Boyes Turner elected Chairman of FOCIS
Boyes Turner's medical negligence expert, Adrian Desmond, has been elected as the new Chairman of FOCIS (Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors).
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24 February 2009
Boyes Turner hosts fundraising quiz to raise awareness of Mesothelioma Day
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18 February 2009
NHS Complaints handling is not satisfactory
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18 February 2009
£117.5k in compensation - delayed diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma
In a recent medical negligence case, 2 claimants together received £117.5k following the death of a woman (X)who died at the age of 40 following delayed diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma of her breast.
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11 February 2009
Medical blunders will cost NHS £700 million next year
Health bosses say that NHS payouts for serious medical errors are set to soar next year to more than £700million. Boyes Turner's medical negligence expert Adrian Desmond comments.
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11 February 2009
CASE REPORT: Doctor's breach of duty of care - Meningitis
A doctor breached her duty of care by failing to investigate the history of a child's illness which included constant headaches. Had that history been investigated, and in the absence of any viral symptoms, it would have led to the child being admitted to hospital and being diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis meningitis.
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09 February 2009
High Court approves £1.5 million compensation settlement for 24 year old
24 year old Sarah Hamblin's cerebral palsy was caused by hospital negligence at the time of her birth at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. Today the High Court approved a compensation settlement of £1.5 million.
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29 January 2009
Have you been affected by NHS age discrimination?
The Mirror’s ‘Dear Miriam’ this week revealed that half the doctors specialising in care for older people believe the NHS is "institutionally ageist". Age discrimination legislation will be broadened in the forthcoming Equality Bill but it may take more than a year before it's approved. In the meantime, here's how to make your doctor listen.
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22 January 2009
Compensation for skiing accidents
Have you been involved in a skiing accident?
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15 January 2009
A simple surgical checklist that saves lives
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has ordered all hospitals in England and Wales to use a new surgical checklist across the board by February 2010. The checklist was tested in eight cities around the globe and results show that using it during major operations can cut deaths by more than 40% and complications by more than a third.
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14 January 2009
Victory for Dockworkers
In a landmark Judgment on 18th December 2008 The High Court ordered that the Government could be sued by Dockers who had contracted asbestos related diseases due to the negligence of the National Labour Dock Board.
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10 December 2008
House of Commons Debate on Pleural Plaques
On Wednesday 26 November 2008, the House of Commons held a debate on the issue of compensation for sufferers with pleural plaques.
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10 December 2008
Victory for Mesothelioma Victims at High Court
On 21 November 2008, Mr Justice Burton handed down a positive Judgment for mesothelioma victims in the “Employers’ Liability Insurance Policy Trigger Litigation” enabling thousands of mesothelioma patients and their families to continue receiving compensation from insurers.
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05 December 2008
£4.89 million in compensation for family of child with cerebral palsy
Boyes Turner medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond recovered £4.89 million in compensation for a baby and his family after hospital staff negligence caused the baby severe cerebral palsy.
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18 November 2008
NHS to face string of compensation claims after u-turn
This week’s announcement that the rules allowing patients to "top up" their NHS care with private treatments are to be relaxed means patients who buy their own life extending medication will no longer lose their right to free NHS care.
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30 October 2008
Cerebral Palsy compensation claim against NHS trust negligent system failure
In the recent and successful cerebral palsy compensation claim case of Stephen Lorraine v Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, it was found that a negligent system failure on the part of the NHS trust caused claimant's cerebral palsy.
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21 October 2008
Motorway coach crash compensation - spinal injury victims claim compensation
Victims claim compensation for motorway coach crashes. Speak to Boyes Turner's specialist spinal injury lawyers to make a claim.
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21 October 2008
Compensation for victims of motorway coach crashes
Our personal injury lawyers have advised on many high profile coach accidents. Speak to our accident lawyers and they may be able to help you make a claim.
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08 October 2008
Dead Labour MP sues Government over asbestos
An MP whose death has led to a by-election was in the process of suing the Government for refusing to pay compensation for the illness that killed him.
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02 October 2008
Mesothelioma Victims receive lump sum compensation from Government
From 1 Ocotber 2008, mesothelioma victims will be able to claim a lump sum from the Government, even if they do not know where they were exposed to the asbestos that caused it.
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01 October 2008
MoD admits liability for death of Donnington fire mesothelioma victim
The BBC's Inside Out programme last week revealed evidence that the 1983 Donnington fire which rained asbestos ash over the area could have been prevented. The MoD admits liability for the fire which caused a young mother to develop the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma - from which she died last year.
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25 September 2008
Compensation for people with skin rashes caused by leather furniture
The Daily papers are currently running adverts to alert people about skin rashes caused by leather furniture. Boyes Turner is acting for a significant number of people who have been affected. If you have purchased leather furniture in the last three years and have had any symptoms such as a rash or breathing problems you should contact us immediately on 0800 884 0719.
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03 September 2008
Time bomb - How asbestos in schools could lead to thousands of legal claims
News that a 28 year-old woman has become the youngest person to die of the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, has highlighted the risk posed by asbestos in schools.
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31 August 2008
GMC faces judicial review for not investigating negligent death 'cover-up' allegations
Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) is applying for a judicial review after the GMC decided not to investigate serious allegations concerning the death of a 10-year old boy.
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28 August 2008
NHS has money in bank while patients remain deprived
The NHS is predicted to have a £1.75 billion surplus in the bank by the end of this financial year. Medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond comments.
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26 August 2008
Maximum severity cerebral palsy compensation claim - over-21 age limit ignored
The High Court has used its discretion to allow a man with maximum severity cerebral palsy to sue the hospital he was born at, even though at over 21 years of age he is technically out of time. Medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond comments.
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26 August 2008
Fears over 'super surgeries'
Super clinics - which are a half-way house between a GP surgery and a hospital - are being built to improve access to patients.
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21 August 2008
Medical negligence - ageism rife in the NHS
The Daily Mail this week reported on the impact that age discimination in the NHS is having on the elderly. Leading medical negligence lawyer Susan Brown comments.
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20 August 2008
Challenges remain in improving diabetic care
Diabetes care is improving, but there is still a long way to go before the NHS is providing top quality services. Medical negligence lawyer Rosaline Wong comments.
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18 August 2008
Lawyers don overalls to help local brain injury charity, Headway
A group of lawyers from Boyes Turner in Reading will be rolling up their sleeves and donning overalls to help Headway Thames Valley decorate their new premises.
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17 August 2008
Court of Protection: visitors at risk
Trevor Lyttleton recently wrote in The Law Society Gazette about how the Court of Protection must address the 'catastrophic impact' of the Mental Capacity Act on visitors. Adrian Desmond comments.
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17 August 2008
Pathologist's negligence led to woman's death
A High Court Judge recently found that a woman would probably have survived if not for a series of errors by a pathologist at Kings' College Hospital. Lucy Norton comments.
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17 August 2008
The dangers of NICE
"Arrogant, illogical and totally out of touch, NICE must be scrapped ...it's killing too many people." The words of Jonathan Waxman, a professor of oncology at Imperial College London, who last week wrote an article, published by The Daily Mail, exposing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
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06 August 2008
Patients falsely cleared of cancer diagnosis
The Guardian recently reported that according to an NHS trust, blunders in a hospital laboratory led to 17 patients being given a false all-clear for caner, delaying the start of life-saving treatment. Medical negligence lawyer, Susan Brown, comments.
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05 August 2008
Doctor's 'DIY' kidney machine can save lives
BBC News has reported that a baby dying from kidney failure was saved when her doctor designed and built her a dialysis machine from scratch in his garage.
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04 August 2008
Breast surgeon could be struck off after multiple medical negligence claims
The GMC is to decide if a surgeon will be permanently barred from breast surgery, after being reported to them by lawyers.
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04 August 2008
Statins 'may cut dementia risk'
Scientists have found further evidence that taking commonly used chloesterol-lowering statins may protect against dementia and memory loss.
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04 August 2008
NHS castigated for fatal neglect of patients with learning disabilities
The Independent's Health Editor, Jeremy Laurance, last week reported on the inquiry into the shocking deaths of six patients with learning difficulties who suffered appalling neglect at the hands of the NHS which concluded that the cases were "not isolated incidents".
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04 August 2008
Millions to be spent on NHS rebrand
It has been reported that £2 million of taxpayers' money will be spent in an NHS re-branding exercise which seeks to give a slick new title to the cumbersome 'Primary Care Trust' label currently used for local healthcare organisations.
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31 July 2008
NHS blunder led to 17 patients getting false all-clear for cancer
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30 July 2008
NHS increases chance of death for people with learning disabilities
People with learning disabilities such as those with maximum severity cerebral palsy are more likely to suffer avoidable ill health and premature death when using the NHS.
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30 July 2008
NHS Litigation Authority Chief Executive comments on compensation claims
NHS Litigation Authority Chief Executive talks about his observations on litigation against the NHS in the UK.
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30 July 2008
Draft NHS complaints Constitution published
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28 July 2008
Statins - risk of dementia halved?
Statins, which are commonly used to reduce the risk of heart disease, may also decrease the chance of developing dementia by up to 50%.
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28 July 2008
Woman received settlement of £800k after being brain damaged by detox diet
Woman suffered epileptic seizure causing brain damage.
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22 July 2008
Skin cancer sufferers at risk - delays in diagnosis, incomplete removal and scarring by GPs
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21 July 2008
Wiltshire carpenter dies of asbestos related lung cancer
Exposure to asbestos while working in the Ministry of Defence underground base near Corsham in Wiltshire.
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21 July 2008
Dorset asbestos deaths set to rise
West Dorset area likely to be particularly affected because of former dockyards at Portland and the link with the Royal Navy.
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21 July 2008
Asbestos threat in Parliament
Asbestos contaminated shafts in the Palace of Westminster are not properly secured.
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21 July 2008
Relaxation of insurance duties
This will result in increased difficulties for asbestos victims to obtain financial compensation.
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15 July 2008
Actor dies of mesothelioma
David Nicholls who featured in films Gladiator and Gangs of New York as well as TV series Emmerdale and Coronation Street died aged 58 from mesothelioma.
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15 July 2008
Asbestos fire, families evacuated
Exposure to asbestos fibres can lead to the development of fatal diseases many years later.
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10 July 2008
Delay in diagnosis and treatment of cancer - dangers of malignant melanoma
Malignant melanoma affects 9000 Britons per year and claims more than 1800 lives.
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10 July 2008
Healthcare watchdog urges NHS to improve maternity services
The Healthcare Commission has urged the NHS to redouble its efforts to improve maternity services by enhancing the quality of clinical care and the experiences of women.
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10 July 2008
30 hour treatment delay left young boy with serious brain damage
A young boy was taken to A&E after a convulsion. He was suffering from herpes Simplex Encephalitis. The hospital should have administered an anti-viral treatment immeadiately but there was a 30 hour delay.
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10 July 2008
A&E medical negligence - brain-damaged boy receives compensation for 30-hour delay
It has been reported that in a case which took nine years to settle, a brain-damaged boy has finally received a substantial settlement for a 30-hour treatment delay.
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09 July 2008
Pleural plaques consultation paper
The Government have now published a consultation paper to consider reinstating some compensation for people suffering from pleural plaques.
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08 July 2008
Greater London Council worker claims compensation for mesothelioma
Mr C's industrial disease claim was settled a year after his death for £140,000.
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08 July 2008
Hoddesdon power station carpenter dies of mesothelioma
Mr W was regularly exposed to white and blue asbestos.
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08 July 2008
Coroner confirms asbestos related death of CEGB worker
Mr F worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) at Marchwood Power Station in Southampton in the 1960s and 1970s.
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08 July 2008
The Darzi Review - the Government's latest NHS overhaul
Lord Darzi's plan for the next 10 years of the health service in England emphasises the importance of striving for high quality care from the NHS, rather than setting targets or calling for wholesale reorganisation of the way services are delivered.
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07 July 2008
Alan Johnson's NHS of the Future
The Department of Health reports on the draft Constitution that enshrines the principles and values of the NHS for the future. It was published this week for consultation by the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson.
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30 June 2008
Scottish pleural plaque bill
The Scottish Bill will result in compensation being awarded for the condition of pleural plaques for people who were exposed to asbestos while working in Scotland.
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30 June 2008
Mesothelioma deaths set to rise
Nearly 2000 people die from mesothelioma a year.
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30 June 2008
Early diagnosis and treatment for childhood stroke
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26 June 2008
Hospital medical negligence - will 'Safer Surgery Checklist' reduce surgery death rates?
Every year, an estimated 2000 NHS Patients die as a result of errors in treatment. Medical negligence lawyer Rosaline Wong comments on the new 'Safer Surgery Checklist' being piloted in London this week.
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26 June 2008
Treatment top-ups turnaround?
Health Secretary Alan Johnson has announced that the Department of Health is reviewing top ups of NHS treatment with privately-funded drugs after 20 years of disallowal.
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26 June 2008
Cost cutting - medical negligence - delay in diabetes diagnosis
Figures show that the number of children in England needing emergency hospital care for complications of diabetes has risen. Medical negligence lawyer Nina Ali comments.
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26 June 2008
Delay in diagnosis - reduced due to new cervical cancer vaccine
BBC News has reported on a row over a new vaccination programme to protect schoolgirls from cervical cancer later in life, which campaigners say will be using the wrong vaccine.
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23 June 2008
Scotland moves to reinstate justice for pleural plaques
The bill will entitle anyone in Scotland to bring a claim on the basis that their lungs have been damaged by asbestos leading to the development of pleural plaques.
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23 June 2008
Mesothelioma patient beats the odds
Jon Matthews who has mesothelioma bet he would beat the doctors estimate of his life expectancy.
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19 June 2008
APIL warns of laser treatment cowboys
APIL launched a press campaign this week to warn against Government plans to deregulate cosmetic laser treatment. Medical negligence lawyer Lucy Norton comments.
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17 June 2008
Statins may cut caesarean section risk
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16 June 2008
Springer v Covent Garden Market Authority
Mr Springer received £70,000 in compensation. He developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos dust during the build of New Covent Garden Market.
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15 June 2008
Half of patients do not know they have a choice of hospital
Medical negligence lawyer Sue Brown comments on this article which was published in The Daily Telegraph on 12 June 2008.
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15 June 2008
Patient choice? Who pays the compensation if it goes wrong?
Medical negligence lawyer, Rosaline Wong looks at the pros and cons of the Government's NHS Choice and initiatives to shorten waiting lists.
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12 June 2008
Sofa burns - Group litigation order approved
Boyes Turner are acting for a significant number of those who have suffered rashes, skin allergies, burns, respiratory problems and other side effects.
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12 June 2008
New group of Mesothelioma victims compensated
Our specialist industrial disease lawyers can help you make a claim.
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09 June 2008
Boyes Turner boosts industrial disease team with Shoosmiths hire
Boyes Turner has further strengthened its market leading Industrial Disease group with the hire of Richard Wargent from Shoosmiths solicitors in Basingstoke.
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08 June 2008
Pleural Plaques promise
Pleural plaques consultation paper to be published by mid-June.
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04 June 2008
Sofa dermatitis claim - First 'fatal claim' for Argos toxic sofas
The Sun reported on 5 June that Elizabeth McLaughlin, a mother of three, died from a severe reaction to a toxic Chinese sofa purchsed from Argos.
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03 June 2008
NHS scandal: dying cancer victim was forced to pay
A woman dying of cancer was denied free National Health Service treatment in her final months because she had paid privately for a drug to try to prolong her life.
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03 June 2008
Stillbirths - obstetric medical negligence?
The Times reported this week that nearly 4,000 babies are stillborn every year in the UK and propose that more post mortems could change that tragic figure.
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03 June 2008
Rise in stillbirths
Alarming statistics published from SANDS show that 17 babies died from stillbirth or neonatal death syndrome in the UK every day.
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03 June 2008
Hospital surgery death rates to be made public
The Guardian reported this week that the government is preparing to publish for the first time the death rates of patients undergoing major surgery at NHS hospitals in England. Medical negligence lawyer Susan Brown comments.
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27 May 2008
GP negligence - failing to refer heart patients
According to a Europe-wide survey led by the Sticares Cardiovascular Research Foundation in the Netherlands, many GPs, and even some hospital specialists, are failing to follow guidelines for managing heart failure.
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27 May 2008
Sofa dermatitis claim - Poisoned settee did this to baby
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27 May 2008
Birth and neo-natal injury - Pre-eclampsia tests not accurate enough!
According to a recent study, tests for pre-eclampsia, a serious condition that causes high blood pressure in pregnancy, are not accurate enough. Lucy Norton comments.
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22 May 2008
Missing medical records - concerns over patient safety
Another issue regarding patient safety has been highlighted by a recent survey which reveals that thousands of outpatient appointments take place each year without the doctor having the patient's medical records. Susan Brown comments.
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22 May 2008
NHS in Wales quibbling over who should pay for treatments
Medical negligence lawyer, Susan Brown, comments.
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21 May 2008
Queen's speech promises to reform law relating to medical negligence compensation
The draft Queen's speech promised to reform the coroners system and the law relating to damages.
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20 May 2008
Clash over 24 weeks abortion limit
MPs reject challenge to Britan's abortion laws to lower the 24 week time limit for abortions. Rosaline Wong of Boyes Turner comments.
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20 May 2008
Could you have been affected by the 1983 MoD Donnington Fire?
Specialist industrial disease lawyer Helen Childs of Reading law firm Boyes Turner is holding 'open days' in Telford on 28 and 29 May 2008 to offer free specialist legal advice to people who may have been exposed to asbestos fibres at the 1983 Donnington fire.
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20 May 2008
Boy brain-damaged after accident on bouncy castle - £1 million in compensation
Sam Harris now 13 was left brain damaged following an accident on a bouncy castle at a childrens party when he was 11.
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20 May 2008
Medical negligence claim - failure to act upon abnormal fetal heart trace led to stillbirth
Here we look at the case of a woman whose baby's stillbirth was caused by the Basildon & Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's failure to act upon abnornal fetal heart trace.
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20 May 2008
Possible Meningitis B Vaccine Tested
A possible vaccine against meningitis B has shown "encouraging" results in preliminary clinical trials.
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20 May 2008
Boy sustained traumatic brain injury after accident on a bouncy castle
11 year old boy was left brain damaged after an accident on a bouncy castle at a children's party.
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14 May 2008
Most inpatients are happy with their care
Rosaline Wong looks at the Healthcare Commission's published survey which suggest that over 90% of patients treated in NHS hospitals are generally satisfied with their care.
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14 May 2008
Hospital negligence - midwifery errors
Medical negligence expert Rosaline Wong looks at the effects of midwifery errors in medical negligence cases, including failure to detect early signs of pre-eclampsia; negligent management of ante natal care; failure to act upon abnormal fetal trace; failure to listen to baby's heartbeat and resusitate at home birth; failure to give Anti-D Immunoglobulin and errors made in injecting local anaesthesia intravenously.
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13 May 2008
Watchdog alerts to sofa claims
The BBC 1 Programme "Watchdog" aired on 12 May 2008 reported that allergic reactions to leather furniture purchased from Argos and other retail outlets appears to be as a result of contact with di-methyl fumarate (DMF) which was used on the furniture as an anti moulding agent.
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12 May 2008
Beta blockers may increase surgery risk
The use of beta blocker drugs before surgery to cut the risk of heart problems may be counter-productive, a study suggests.
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12 May 2008
Compensation Claim - GP failed to diagnose meningitis
GP found liable in negligence to the claimant in a personal injury action for his failure diagnose meningitis.
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07 May 2008
Report on stillbirths and neonatal deaths
The rate of stillbirths in the UK remains unchanged however there has been a slight reduction in the number of neonatal (newborn baby) deaths according to the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child health.
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07 May 2008
Health Charities call for reform of prescription charges to end risk to patients
Health charities call on the Government to reform NHS prescription charges in England.
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07 May 2008
Faulty weighing scales - Risk to patient safety
Another risk to patient safety has been identified following an inspection programme by trading standards offficers which found that hospitals were using inappropriate or faulty weighing scales to calculate the dosage of patient's medications.
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07 May 2008
Maternal and Child Health Report - stillbirth and neonatal deaths
Enquiry finds stillbirth rates are not falling, but neonatal death rates have reduced.
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05 May 2008
Privatised decontamination puts patients at risk
Criticising the government's policy on cleaning equipment, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) says operations are being cancelled because equipment is being damaged and delayed by out-sourced private decontamination centres being rolled out across the NHS.
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05 May 2008
New GP surgeries to open at weekends
Health Secretary Alan Johnson, has announced new Government plans that will see patients able to visit their GPs at evenings and weekends at 12 new surgeries around England.
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27 April 2008
Hospital negligence - healthcare-associated infection
The Healthcare Commission has launched the biggest inspection programme ever carried out in NHS acute trusts to check whether they are meeting standards on infection control.
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27 April 2008
Inquest Links Mesothelioma Death to MoD Donnington Fire
The verdict from an inquest into the death of Ellen Paddock who died last year found that her death was linked to a massive fire at the MoD in Donnington in 1983.
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27 April 2008
Pioneering Gene therapy improves sight
An 18-year-old whose sight was failing has had his vision improved in a pioneering operation carried out by doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
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22 April 2008
Hospital negligence - nurse failing in her patient duty
Medical News Today has reported that a registered nurse from a hospital in Poole has been struck off the register after failing to care for a patient properly.
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22 April 2008
NHS 'falling behind' on care for diabete sufferers
BBC News has reported that the charity 'Diabetes UK' is concerned that Government targets for improving diabetes care may be missed as local health providers are failing to offer key services.
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21 April 2008
Blood clot complications after surgery - Pradaxa could save thousands
BBC news has reported that wider use of Pradaxa, a new blood-thinning drug to stop blood clots could save thousands of lives a year.
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21 April 2008
Thalidomide is back - is it worth the risk?
The European drug agency has given clearance for thalidomide to be sold on prescription in Europe as a powerful cancer treatment for the newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
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16 April 2008
Medical negligence - maternity deaths inquiry launched
BBC News has reported that an inquiry is under way at Northwick Park Hospital maternity unit after 3 more deaths were reported within the last ten months.
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14 April 2008
Pneumococcal bug poses new threat to children
BBC News has reported that a strain of bacteria which can cause pneumonia and meningitis in children is on the rise in England and Wales.
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14 April 2008
Cerebral Palsy Compensation Claims - grandparents often initiate investigations
Of the 135 or so families that contacted Boyes Turner in 2007 who have a family member with cerebral palsy, over 30 came from the grandparent of the child. Does this suggest that parents can be reluctant to initiate a claim for their child?
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10 April 2008
Plans for tendering medical negligence claims shelved for at least 5 years
It has been reported that as part of the settlement terms of the Law Society ending its judicial review proceedings against the Legal Services Commission (LSC), the LSC has given a commitment not to introduce Best Value Tendering before 2013.
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10 April 2008
NHS redress plans stalled in England but going ahead in Wales
Ministers in England are 'reconsidering' plans for the NHS Redress Scheme in England.
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09 April 2008
Healthcare watchdog calls on NHS to learn from patients' complaints
The Healthcare Commission is urging NHS trusts to learn from patients' complaints and improve complaints handling, with key proposals including apologising more often when they do make mistakes.
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09 April 2008
Healthcare Commission publishes results of survey of staff
More than 155,000 staff give their views on working for the NHS. Survey results of NHS staff in England show that there are fewer medical errors and near misses.
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06 April 2008
UK fertility safety for women is 'among the worst in Europe'
Mothers' health may be put at risk in the quest for high pregnancy rates at British IVF clinics, warn experts.
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02 April 2008
Medical negligence - compensation awarded for injustice in residential care
A joint report published by the Local Government Ombudsman and the Health Service Ombudsman for England found that the level of care provided by Buckinghamshire County Council and the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership Trust for a man with severe learning disabilities was unacceptable. Susan Brown a leading medical negligence lawyer at Boyes Turner comments.
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01 April 2008
Medical negligence - drugs for dementia 'killing thousands'
The Times online reported this week that the drugs prescribed to make dementia sufferers more manageable in care homes could be killing more than 23,000 people prematurely each year.
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26 March 2008
Cancer patients given untested drugs
BBC News has reported that in a bid to halve the time it takes to develop new drugs, the Department of Health has approved a move to allow the NHS to give cancer drugs which have not yet been tested on humans to terminally ill patients. Medical negligence lawyer Nina Ali comments on the decision.
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26 March 2008
Medical negligence at birth - nurse struck off
Medical News Today has reported that two midwives have been found unfit to practise by an independent Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel this week after failing to adequately care for a 'high risk' patient during labour. Leading medical negligence lawyer Adrian Desmond comments.
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18 March 2008
Prostate cancer medical services vary - early diagnosis needed
BBC News online reported this week that health experts are calling for improvements in prostate cancer services to help tackle the wide variations in care seen across England. Boyes Turner medical negligence lawyer, Nina Ali, comments.
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10 March 2008
Cancer medical negligence - delay in diagnosis
The Times Online reported this week that over the past ten years the NHS has paid out almost £100 million in negligence claims due to medical errors in cancer treatment. Lucy Norton, medical negligence lawyer at Boyes Turner comments.
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07 March 2008
Pleural Plaques Scottish Legislation
A regulatory impact assessment consultation to assess the affect of proposed pleural plaques legislation on businesses in Scotland has been issued by the Scottish Government.
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05 March 2008
Failure - maternity units - variable quality of care
The Healthcare Commission has launched a new website enabling pregnant women and their families to see details of the quality of care provided by their maternity services.
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04 March 2008
Waiting times up - delay in diagnosis?
The average NHS wait has risen under Labour Government.
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03 March 2008
Foreign accident compensation - cross border Road Traffic Accident (RTA) claim
A recent ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has confirmed that injured motorists are entitled to bring an action directly against the responsible person's insurer before the courts in the place where the injured party is living.
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29 February 2008
Primary Care Trusts criticised
The National Audit Office has criticised Primary Care Trusts for not using the GP contracts introduced in 2004 to force better access for patients.
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29 February 2008
Hospital medical negligence - nurse falsifying records
Mrs Victoria Galang was employed at St Georges Nursing Home in Wigan when in August 2006 she made false entries in the record of a patient indicating she had provided care when she had not done so.
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27 February 2008
Anti-depressants' 'little effect'
BBC News recently reported that according to research, new generation anti-depressants have little clinical benefit for most patients.
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26 February 2008
Negligent medical staff - nurse struck off for falsifying records
Medical News Today recently reported that a 37 year old registered adult nurse from Wigan, Lancashire has been struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council register after being found guilty of falsifying a patient's records in an attempt to cover up omissions in his care.
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25 February 2008
Hospital negligence - swab left inside Caesarean mother
BBC News recently reported that a woman underwent an operation to remove a swab left inside her during a Caesarean delivery.
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21 February 2008
Limiting obesity operations - patients referred back to GPs
GP magazine "Pulse" reported this week that consultants undertaking "limiting obesity operations" such as gastric banding and gastric bypass, sent half the patients referred to them back to their GPs.
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14 February 2008
"Payment by Results" scheme interfering with clinical judgement
Has patient care suffered as hospitals try to cut costs?
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12 February 2008
Unregulated botox - 16 deaths
US federal regulators are investigating the use of Botox in cosmetic and medical procedures after it was linked with 16 deaths.
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12 February 2008
Cerebral palsy children botox worry
Botox in cosmetic and medical procedures linked with 16 deaths US federal regulators investigating along with a series of other cases needing hospital treatment.
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07 February 2008
Medical negligence - delays in cancer diagnosis
BBC News recently reported that survival rates from cancer in the UK are poorer than in much of Europe. One reason is that the disease is often diagnosed later in the UK.
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07 February 2008
Delays in diagnosis and treatment leading to years of unnecessary suffering
Patients with hearing and balance problems suffer delay in diagnosis and treatment due to lack of physicians and multidisciplinary teams.
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06 February 2008
Hospital negligence - wrong dosage of epidural anaesthesia during childbirth
Medical negligence lawyers Adrian Desmond and Rosaline Wong from Boyes Turner comment on the case of Mayra Cabrera who died after giving birth to her son Zac in 2004.
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05 February 2008
Ski accidents - Take swift legal advice
If you, like many others, are looking forward to this years' ski season you are no doubt aware that whilst fun in the snow is now part and parcel of half term and Easter holidays there can sometimes be unfortunate accidents which can leave you and your family with more than just after dinner stories of off piste skiing.
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05 February 2008
Accidents at work - Warehouse accident at local firm
Oxford Crown Court - 21 January 2008 An Oxfordshire firm was recently ordered to pay more than £90,000 following an accident which left one of its employees paralysed and living in a nursing home.
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29 January 2008
Thousands of nurses leaving NHS in search of better pay and conditions abroad
The Times online recenty reported that more than 10,000 nurses and midwives left the UK to work abroad in 2006-07, leaving the NHS just a few years away from a staffing crisis.
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29 January 2008
Medical negligence - London maternity care - consistently poor
Legal & Medical, a leading online magazine for the medico-legal profession, recently reported that according to a Healthcare Commission report maternity care in the North of England is far better than in London.
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28 January 2008
Clegg sets out elderly care plan
As reported on BBC News recently, Nick Clegg, who became Liberal Democrat leader in December, has outlined a £2 billion "care guarantee" plan for the elderly, as part of his proposals to reform the NHS.
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25 January 2008
Medical negligence compensation claims due to failure in diagnosing cancer
Hospital pathologist fails to diagnose cases of cancer.
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25 January 2008
Cerebral palsy and oxygen starvation birth injuries - London maternity service
The most comprehensive review ever of UK maternity services was published today (Friday 25th January).
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24 January 2008
East Berkshire Autism Information Day & Exhibition - 26 February 2008
Boyes Turner will be at the event and will be happy to answer any questions you may have on Trusts and Wills. Click below for more information.
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24 January 2008
Government set targets could lead to medical negligence
Yet another politician chanting the "reform for the NHS" mantra.
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21 January 2008
Medical negligence - Breast cancer follow-up 'lacking'
Breast cancer patients are not receiving the best follow-up care according to BBC News.
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21 January 2008
Impact of Court of Appeal judgement on compensation claims
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18 January 2008
Impact of Court of Appeal Judgement on medical negligence claims
Compensation for future loss will be linked to the likely growth in the relevant wage inflation rather than RPI.
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17 January 2008
Government concerned over NHS spending on prescription drugs
NHS spending on prescription drugs has risen over the last 10 years. Savings can be made without affecting patient care.
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16 January 2008
Deadly new form of MRSA emerges
A deadly strain of the superbug MRSA which can lead to a flesh eating form of pneumonia has emerged.
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16 January 2008
Hospital negligence - Woman died from brain haemorrhage during childbirth
Hospital failed to address specialist care needed for woman with rare condition.
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16 January 2008
Hospital negligence - deep cleaning under fire
1500 hospitals ordered to be deep cleaned by Government.
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14 January 2008
Hospital administration negligence putting lives at risk
A survey undertaken by the National Audit Committee (NOA) found that care for premature babies in England is being compromised by a shortage of nurses and overcrowded special units. Serious problems were found in the way care is organised and provided in spite of improvements made following a review by the Department of Heath in 2003.
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10 January 2008
Medical negligence claims - NICE delay guidance to NHS on treatments available to patients
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence criticised by Health Committee.
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08 January 2008
Medical negligence claims - patients refused treatment or surgery
The Prime Minister has announced an 'NHS Constitution' that could mean patients may have to change their lifestyle to recieve healthcare. Should patients be responsible for their own entitlement to NHS care?
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03 January 2008
Product liability claims - How safe are your Christmas toys?
Our specialist personal injury lawyers have dealt with a wide range of compensation claims against retailers and manufacturers following injury as a result of a defective product.
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03 January 2008
Animal attack compensation - Dangerous dogs
If you or any member of your family is attacked by a dog or any other animal you may be entitled to compensation.
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19 December 2007
Government's Disabled Children Review 2007 - How to improve
Earlier this year the finding of the Government's Disabled Children Review was published.
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19 December 2007
Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign - Data published
The Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign recently published data which indicates that there are approximately 770,000 disabled children in the UK.
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10 December 2007
Don't stick it, Stop it - Mencap launch anti-bullying campaign
Mencap recently published report on bullying.
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10 December 2007
Scope report - No Voice, No Choice
Scope's results of a recent survey on disabled people's experiences of accessing communication aids.
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07 December 2007
Scottish Government to introduce Asbestos claims Bill
The Scottish Government is to introduce a Bill to reverse the House of Lords Judgment published in 17 Ocotber, whihc ruled that asymptomatic pleural plaques do not give rise to a cause of action under the law of damages.
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06 December 2007
Negligent nurse - maladministration of drugs
Mental health nurse charged with several accounts of poor record keeping and maladministration of drugs.
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06 December 2007
Buckinghamshire woman's cancer caused by asbestos in her own home
Boyes Turner's industrial disease lawyers are acting for Pamela Hayes who was born in 1948 and has been diagnosed with the deadly asbestos related disease mesothelioma.
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27 November 2007
Nurse struck off for negligent care
Nurse failed to wash her hands after treating a patient with MRSA.
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22 November 2007
Hospital negligence - new Superbug
Media coverage has highlighted the threat of superbugs, and recently yet another common bacteria has turned into one. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a very common bacteria found in soil, water, plants and animals.
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22 November 2007
Hospital failings - trauma care concern
Trauma care could be better according to National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death.
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15 November 2007
Cerebral Palsy - The Disabled Children (Family Support) Bill 2007
The Disabled Children (Family Support) Bill 2007, if it became law, would ensure a specific duty is placed on local authorities to provide short break care for families with disabled children.
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15 November 2007
C Difficile hospital escapes prosecution
Stoke Mandeville Hospital where 33 people died as a direct result of C Difficile outbreaks in which 334 patients were infected between October 2003 and June 2005 has escaped prosecution.
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08 November 2007
Cerebral palsy - Mental Capacity Act 2005 and changes to the Court of Protection
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23 October 2007
Trust Issues
It was recently reported in Legal Week that trusts created by recipients of personal injury compensation awards will become the subject of a new tax regime. It is feared that the regime will prove costly and cause confusion to the most vulnerable and poorer sections of society.
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21 October 2007
Payout to NHS patients - 9 billion in compensation
The number of mistakes by NHS Trusts appear to be on the rise.
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17 October 2007
Pleural Plaques Judgement
The House of Lords have today (17 October) published the Judgment which finally overturns the Law which had been settled for 20 years and which acknowledged an entitlement to compensation by those who had been diagnosed as suffering from Pleural Plaques.
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17 October 2007
Maternity units pay extra premium for medical negligence
A dozen NHS maternity units are charged an extra premium to be part of the government’s medical insurance scheme because of large claims in the past, documents have revealed.
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17 October 2007
NHS not learning from their medical mistakes
The news comes as no great surprise to Adrian Desmond, Partner in Boyes Turner's specialist Medical Negligence group.
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17 October 2007
Healthcare watchdog pledges tough action on behalf of patients
Healthcare Commissions pledges to carry out more stringent assessment of Trusts' infection control practices.
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14 October 2007
Medical negligence - UK Healthcare system falls further behind
Artcile published by Legal & Medical highlights the fact that the UK's health system is failing behind its European neighbours.
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09 October 2007
Hospital negligence - Maidstone Hospital Deaths
Patient deaths due to outbreaks of C. difficile at Maidstone Hospital.
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08 October 2007
Will hysterectomy give cerebral palsy girl a better life?
The mother of a fifteen year old girl with cerebral palsy wants the disabled teenager to have a hysterectomy so that she doesn’t have to suffer the “pain, discomfort and indignity” of menstruation, according to an article in The Times on Monday 8 October, 2007.
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01 October 2007
Call for NHS hospitals to provide dignity in care to older people
An article recently published by the Healthcare Commission emphasised the need for NHS hospitals to step up efforts to provide dignity in care to older people. This follows findings by a healthcare watchdog published in a national report.
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17 September 2007
Product liability claim - Argos, Homebase, Land of Leather and SCS Sofas and reclining chairs
Have you been suffering skin irritation after purchasing leather or leather effect furniture?
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16 September 2007
Asbestos cases triple in a year
According to Legal & Medical criminal prosecutions brought under the control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 more than tripled last year to 37.
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18 August 2007
Cerebral palsy children have similar quality of life as their healthy peers
According researchers in a new study, and reported in online magazine Medical News Today, if they are not in pain, 8-12 year-old children with cerebral palsy seem to feel just as happy as healthy children of the same age.
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14 August 2007
Medical negligence compensation awarded for woman who changed mind on abortion
Hospital admits failure. Medical professionals went ahead with abortion procedure without getting confirmation that the mother had consented.
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12 August 2007
Hospital negligence - hospital admits error over cancer treatment deaths
Two cancer patients die due to hospital staff miscalculating drug dosage.
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12 August 2007
Cerebral palsy - parents of disabled children face poverty
According to an article published in July’s edition of ‘Disability Now’ magazine, parents of disabled children, includign those with cerebral palsy are 50% more likely than parents of children who are not disabled, to be in debt.
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30 June 2007
Hospital negligence - NHS hygiene criticised
Legal & Medical, one in four NHS trusts in England is failing to meet standards of cleanliness and infection control as set out by the Department of Health's compulsory hygiene code.
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26 June 2007
Calls to speed up NHS complaints
The NHS received more than 100,000 complaints last year with an increasing number going to independent panels.
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25 June 2007
GP negligence
Better care needed from GPs at night time and weekends according to Gordon Brown.
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25 June 2007
Medical negligence during surgery - instruments left inside patients
283 medical negligence claims have been made against NHS Trusts.
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03 June 2007
Medical negligence - delay in treatment for stroke
Reports show that stroke patients are having to deal with unacceptable waits for brain scans and starting treatment.
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03 June 2007
Stroke - unacceptable waits for brain scans and treatment
The results of the 2006 National Sentinel Audit for Stroke show that patients are spending more of their time on stroke units, but there are still unacceptable waits for brain scans and starting treatment.
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02 June 2007
Medical negligence - healthcare associated infection
Government will carry out unannounced inspections at 120 NHS Trusts over the next year in order to prevent and manage healthcare-associated infections.
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29 April 2007
Oxygen starvation claim - 1.25m compensation for birth injury
23 year old Tom suffers from a severe form of short term memory impairment caused by a likely starvation of oxygen during his birth. This has left him unable to organise his life and day to day activities without assistance and he is also financially dependent.
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27 April 2007
Greater rights and freedoms to disabled people
From 30 March, human rights will be recognised for disabled people worldwide.
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30 March 2007
Cerebral palsy - Mental Capacity Act 2005
The Department of Health introduce a new Independent Mental Capacity Advocate service.
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29 March 2007
Does receiving compensation disentitle me to my means tested benefits?
Careful thought now has to be given as to whether receiving an interim award will in fact be in the best interests of a Claimant receiving means tested benefits.
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16 March 2007
New Lawyer for the Industrial Disease team
The Industrial Disease team is boosted by another new lawyer
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02 March 2007
Cerebral palsy - respite care
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30 January 2007
The Ashley X Treatment - Help Scope (the cerebral palsy charity)
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30 December 2006
Cerebral palsy - services for disabled children
Tom Clarke MP, chair of a cross-party group reports.
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20 December 2006
Cerebral palsy - does the UK have a compensation culture?
View the Government figures for the last five years.
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27 November 2006
£70k compensation for firework accident
Successful personal injury claim for man who was struck in the face by a stray firework.
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27 November 2006
£60k compensation for boating accident claim
Our specialist personal injury lawyers make successful accident claim.
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21 November 2006
£600k compensation for cyclist knocked down by motor vehicle
Fatal injury compensation claim - cyclist killed by motor vehicle.
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21 November 2006
£1 million awarded in compensation for road traffic accident claim
Lawyers make successful personal injury claim for man who suffered severe brain injury and optic nerve damage in car accident.
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21 November 2006
Man suffered severe brain injury - case settled after 2.5 years
Man was a passenger in a car when it lost control. He suffered a severe brain injury and damage to his optic nerve.
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21 November 2006
£850k awarded in compensation for fatal moped accident
Man lost control of moped due to appalling road conditions. Lawyers make successful personal injury claim for fatal moped accident.
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20 November 2006
Cerebral palsy claim - lump sum or periodical payment?
Which approach is most beneficial for the child?
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