Negligent Locum?

JodyBPM

But would there have been anything that that the doctor could have done which could not have been done at he hospital, if she had have followed his advice and gone to hospital?

If she had just have followed his advice and gone to the hospital she would have received appropriate treatment sooner.

rachbc

Yes she could have died - but you can't claim compensation for what might have happened regardless of if he is negligent or not!

I suspect a"where there blame there's a claim" solicitor would tell her to make a claim and I suspect a PCT would possibly pay up out of court to avoid the expense of defending a case and it costing all us tax payers even more than the couple of weeks wages she would get.

lostinrates

zaksmum wrote: »

Thanks all. I agree my friend could have called an ambulance but the locum was so dismissive that she thought maybe she was over reacting and would feel better in the morning. She's not, after all, medically qualified.

She can claim SSP, by the way, but it still leaves her far short of her usual wage as she's a supervisor and has a lot of responsibility at work. She budgets carefully but has a mortgage to pay on her own which isn't easy.

Her younger sister died recently due to the same condition she has. I've never known her so ill, so yes, she could have died. She's still not well and feels that antibiotics at an earlier stage would have made the difference.

She is not medically qualified but her sister had recently died from the same condition.

I would make the complaint, because its important the locum answer any issue to sharpen ...personally I would accept responsibility for not going to the hospital myself and not wander down the route of making a claim. If nothing else (though I'm wih the ''personal responsibility crowd) the stress would be great and not to be undertaken lightly when strength is require to stay well.

KiKi

I would complain, absolutely, to ensure that this doesn't happen to someone else.

However, you imply that she's wondering about medical negligence because she's worried about paying her bills. If she were well off and able to afford her bills, would she still be considering negligence? Not having a go, just suggesting that she needs to keep level headed, not leap into a compensation claim for negligence.

KiKI

mountainofdebt

OP

Is this the friend that asked you to go around to help her even though she has two sons who could have helped her ?

Did they go around afterwards?

The only reason I'm asking is that if she is and they did they why on earth didn't they take matters into their own hands if she was that bad.

If she is and they didn't then in my mind they want a kick up the backside

(of course I might have mixed this friend with a completely different posting!)

tbh if the friend was that bad then she should have rung 999 and got an ambulance.

Oldernotwiser

For future reference, your friend could ask for a prescription for antibiotics (and prednisolone if she takes it) so that she could have it to hand if she needs it. My husband has COPD and this is what he does; it's quite normal and means that you can start treatment immediately it becomes necessary.

Chakani

If the locum advised her to go to hospital, and she didn't follow his advice, how can she hold him responsible for her subsequent illness? Regardless of whether he ought to have dealt with her differently, if she was that sick, it was surely the right advice to give, so where would be the case for sueing him?

snoop2008

lostinrates wrote: »

She is not medically qualified but her sister had recently died from the same condition.

I would make the complaint, because its important the locum answer any issue to sharpen ...personally I would accept responsibility for not going to the hospital myself and not wander down the route of making a claim. If nothing else (though I'm wih the ''personal responsibility crowd) the stress would be great and not to be undertaken lightly when strength is require to stay well.

OP, I am sorry to hear aboutl your friend. I have a friend who has this condition. For those who have it, it is life threatening or can be. I am sure your friend would also be aware of this, and going off to the hosiptal would have been in my view the best option, as she already had a sister who sadly passed away with this.

I know that sometimes when were poorly our thinking could well be, not to bother calling the ambulance, don't make a fuss ,lets just see what the doc says. I strongly believe with conditions like this, and getting any kind of flu or infection, is asking for potential trouble, putting ones health at risk when the condition itself is very chronic.

I am sure the doctor is sorry, but if he also suggested to go to the hospital, then I am not really sure how far you go with this.

kathy206

OP I am sorry for your friend's situation. However if the GP thought her O2 sats were dangerously low in fact"the lowest he had ever seen" in someone with a chronic lung condition which COPD is(and as a nurse I've seen patients in the community with sats of below 60% that have needed 999 to hospital) I am wondering why he only gave her antibiotics (which take at least 48 hours to be effective) and did not admit her straight away. I deal with lots of patients with COPD and I would dare bet that 90% of them will argue the toss whether I admit them or not and will beg to be kept at home,however if I spell it out tho them that they are dangerously ill then they'll go. If she really was as unwell as she and her GP say then I am shocked she didn't call 999 as other posters have said.
That aside, I do feel she has cause for formal complaint, however don't bank on compensation as she didn't go to hospital as the locum suggested-however dismissive he was. I would agree that a letter from the locum would imply some culpability but aside from a couple of weeks off work I don't see how far the medico legal claim would go.
Hope she's better soon.:)

mountainofdebt

The more I think about it (sad I know) I think that this is the same friend.

I seem to remember that you were posted as your friend had asked you to go around but you were concerned as your daughter is pregnant.........