Hospital Negligence Solicitors

Hospital negligence can involve care by doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, or other professionals falling below the expected standard. Examples include missed diagnoses in A&E, inadequate monitoring of deteriorating patients, medication errors, hospital-acquired infections from poor hygiene, pressure sores from inadequate repositioning, or falls from inadequate supervision.

A claim usually needs to show that care fell below the standard reasonably expected of competent professionals in that role and caused harm. Not all poor outcomes are negligent. A claim may be possible where care fell demonstrably below acceptable standards and caused injuries that proper care would have prevented.

Pressure sores (also called pressure ulcers or bedsores) develop when continuous pressure on skin reduces blood flow causing tissue damage and ulceration. They commonly affect immobile patients on heels, buttocks, or backs. Hospitals should assess pressure sore risk, reposition patients regularly, use pressure-relieving mattresses where needed, and monitor skin condition.

Pressure sores are largely preventable with proper care. Grade 3 and 4 pressure sores involving deep tissue damage, bone exposure, or infection often indicate negligent care. They’re painful, slow to heal, and can cause sepsis. A claim may be possible where basic pressure care was not implemented.

Yes, if infections resulted from poor infection control, inadequate hygiene, or breach of infection prevention protocols. Common hospital-acquired infections include MRSA, C. difficile, surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and pneumonia. Hospitals should follow strict hygiene protocols including hand washing and equipment sterilisation.

However, not all hospital-acquired infections are preventable despite reasonable care. Claims require proving infections resulted from specific breaches like contaminated equipment, poor surgical technique, or staff not following hygiene protocols. Expert infection control evidence establishes whether care met acceptable standards.

Hospitals should assess fall risks, provide appropriate supervision, ensure call bells are accessible, and create safe environments. A claim may be possible where fall risks were not assessed, prevention measures were not put in place, or known risks such as confusion or mobility problems were not managed properly.

However, not all hospital falls are negligent. Some patients fall despite reasonable precautions. Claims require proving falls resulted from specific failings like wet floors not cleaned, beds left at wrong height, inadequate supervision of high-risk patients, or failure to respond to call bells.

Inadequate monitoring involves failing to observe patients’ conditions regularly or not responding appropriately to deteriorating patients. Hospitals should monitor vital signs, respond to early warning scores, and escalate concerns to senior doctors when patients deteriorate.

Claims arise when nurses didn’t record observations as required, ignored abnormal observations, or didn’t escalate concerns despite clear deterioration signs. Expert nursing evidence establishes whether monitoring met acceptable standards and whether earlier intervention would have prevented harm.

A&E negligence includes missing serious diagnoses like heart attacks, strokes, fractures, or infections, failing to order appropriate tests, discharging patients without proper assessment, or inadequate treatment of injuries. A&E departments should triage patients appropriately, investigate symptoms adequately, and avoid discharging patients who are clinically unstable.

Common A&E failures include missing fractures on X-rays, not performing ECGs for chest pain, missing sepsis signs, or discharging head injury patients without adequate safety netting. Claims require proving A&E staff’s assessment and treatment fell below acceptable standards causing harm proper care would have prevented.

The time to resolve a hospital negligence claim depends on its complexity and the issues involved. We must obtain detailed medical records, appoint expert evidence across relevant specialties, and prove both breach of duty and causation. NHS Resolution (handling NHS claims) investigates thoroughly before admitting liability.

Most claims settle once expert evidence is exchanged and liability becomes clear. Some require court proceedings and trial if NHS Resolution disputes causation or the amount of compensation. We work efficiently to progress claims while ensuring comprehensive evidence gathering supporting appropriate compensation.