Our Medical Negligence experts secured our client, Harry*, a compensation settlement after an unnecessary and continued overdose by a Junior Doctor at his local hospital trust.
In 2019, doctors told Harry* that his bowel cancer had spread to his lungs, and he needed surgery to remove the affected parts of his lungs.
The initial surgery was a success and medical staff then prescribed Harry with Enoxaparin, a drug for preventing blood clots. After the initial prescription a junior doctor at the hospital trust then increased Harry’s dose. Meaning, when it was next administered, Harry was given more than he should’ve had.
The junior doctor hadn’t consulted with the senior clinician about this increase despite taking Harry from a preventative dose to a treatment dose. The junior doctor made an independent decision about a dangerous increase with little explanation, and without speaking to the treating team.
Other staff working at the hospital trust then didn’t notice this increase in dosage for another two days. Eventually, a pharmacist working at the trust noticed Harry’s dosage increase but took no action to rectify the error.
Harry then suffered a stroke after hospital staff failed to take action.
Harry’s stroke came only three days after his successful lung operation and Harry is now permanently paralysed on his right side and wheelchair-reliant. He now heavily relies on carers including extensive care from his wife, Sarah*.
The impact on Harry’s daily life of this completely avoidable stroke has been immense. Harry now has to pay for services which he used to enjoy doing himself, such as DIY and gardening. It’s also affected his marriage as Sarah has had to take on a caring role.
Following the negligence of the junior doctor and his local hospital trust, Harry contacted our specialist Medical Negligence team to see what support we could give. Medical Negligence expert, Alice Doherty, began working with Harry to help him in bringing a compensation claim against the trust.
Alice listened to Harry’s story and gathered evidence about his treatment before sending a letter of claim to the NHS Trust responsible for his hospital care.
On the strength of Alice’s evidence, the Trust agreed to settle Harry’s claim out of court. Alice successfully negotiated five-figure compensation to help Harry manage his disability in the future.
Part of the settlement has paid for Harry to make his home more accessible for his new mobility needs.
Harry can now also pay for additional professional care so his wife doesn’t have to be his primary carer.
Alice added, “Helping Harry and his family through such a stressful and devastating time has been a pleasure. With this settlement, I hope Harry and his family are able to move on from these awful events and start looking to the future.”
If you or a loved one has suffered medical negligence then we may be able to help. Please contact us online or, call 0370 1500 100.
*Not actual names used
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