Fighting for quality of life after medical negligence

"Working in medical negligence, I am often faced with victims of devastating injuries and illnesses as a consequence of poor medical care. The most important part of my job is ensuring that the people we work with are able to have their needs met. A recent case of mine, which has concluded as amicably as any case I can remember in 15 years of doing medical negligence work, is a good example of getting the best possible result for our clients following a harmful incident. I’ve changed some details to ensure client confidentiality.

My client was a lady in her 30's who was admitted to a major hospital with very serious back pain. Senior doctors specialising in infection control at the hospital had suggested to those looking after her on the medical assessment unit that a scan would be required to check for discitis, a very serious spinal infection requiring emergency treatment.

Sadly, this poor lady was left over the weekend with no investigations carried out and by Monday she had suffered permanent spinal cord injury and paralysis.

In my experience, the response of hospitals in such circumstances can be mixed. Some conduct internal investigations offer apologies but then seek to argue over liability when lawyers like me invite them to formally admit liability for their error.

However, to this hospital’s credit, a very thorough investigation was carried out. Statements were taken from several members of staff and the detailed Serious Incident Report sought to learn from these awful events to prevent a repeat in future. The hospital also instructed sensible lawyers, who confirmed to me that liability was accepted in full for my client’s injuries. That meant a significant saving in legal costs and reduced the length of the case by at least a year.

The victim had suffered life-changing spinal injuries, so work then turned to quantifying the damages. Our legal system is designed to try (as far as money can) to put someone back into the position they would or should have been in with reasonable treatment.

Working with a very capable colleague of mine, we obtained expert evidence on this lady’s likely future medical needs, as well as the care, equipment and accommodation required to meet those needs. It was confirmed that she would need round the clock care from two carers, and needed adapted accommodation which was entirely wheelchair accessible.

Whilst the case was still ongoing, we secured interim payments of damages of £800,000 so that a property could be purchased and therapies could get underway without waiting for the end of the case. Our team is committed to ensuring our clients are awarded the necessary funds to ensure no delay in treatment or comfort.

The case settled earlier this year for a lump sum of £2.75m, plus a lifelong annual payment of £350,000 for the cost of care and medical needs. I was pleased with the result, but more importantly, so was my client. The adaptation works to the property have begun, and I look forward to seeing the finished article next year.

Our clients are at the heart of the work we do, and we are passionate about helping those that have fallen victim of medical negligence get the answers and closure where possible and go on to achieve the best possible quality of life.

If you or a loved one has been affected by substandard medical treatment, you may be able to claim medical negligence compensation to help you move on from this mistake and put your life back together.

For a free consultation with one of our legal team call us on 0808 159 8144 or email enquiry@jacksonlees.co.uk or visit our website www.jacksonlees.co.uk.

If you have been injured by a medical professional, we are here to help you.

What we can do for you…

• We deal with cases on a ‘no win, no fee basis’
• We provide a dedicated team of lawyers supported by a doctor, nurse,  midwife and radiographer
• We handle a full range of claims up to life changing injuries or those involving death of a loved one.
• We have male and female solicitors available for sensitive issues
• We can visit you at your home and out of hours if required
• We are independently accredited as experts in this field by the Law Society and AvMA (Action against Medical Accidents).

If you feel you may have been mistreated medically, or if someone you care about has, please contact our dedicated team on 0808 159 8144 for a confidential chat with a legal expert.