Lawyers from Irwin Mitchell’s Medical Law and Patients' Rights team in Leeds have assisted a widow in securing an out of court five-figure settlement following the tragic loss of her husband, due to a poor standard of diabetic care.
Our client, Mrs A, brought a claim against the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for a catalogue of errors. These included a failure to formulate a diabetic care plan during her husband’s admission to hospital, in addition to a failure to provide his required medication, including insulin.
Not only did medical staff neglect to consistently document and maintain Mr A’s fluid intake – resulting in him becoming overloaded with nine litres of fluid – but the hospital also failed to provide him with adequate nutrition during his stay.
There were also shortcomings in the frequency of review by a doctor. These lapses caused Mr A’s condition to deteriorate to such an extent that he required an admission to the High Dependency Unit and tragically passed away shortly afterwards.
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability for the allegations made by Irwin Mitchell and admitted that with appropriate care, Mr A wouldn’t have died as and when he did.
Mrs A said that she was pleased that liability was admitted but was disappointed that it took eighteen months for such admissions to be made and stressed the additional distress and worry that this prolonged investigation created. Mrs A also expressed disappointment that no apology was provided by the hospital for the failures in their care.
Emily Pierce, a medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell, said: "There are NICE guidelines which clearly set out the precautions to be taken in the management of diabetic care for patients who are admitted to hospital.
"Unfortunately, in Mr A’s case, these were not followed and this caused unnecessary and avoidable suffering for Mr A as well as for his wife and children.
"It is sadly too late to reverse the damage done but we hope that the admission of liability by the hospital and the associated compensation will assist the family in understanding and drawing a close on this tragic sequence of events."
If somebody close to you has died because of negligent medical care, our medical negligence solicitors could help you to claim the compensation you deserve. Visit our Fatal Medical Negligence Claims & Inquests page for more information.
Back to Client Stories
