Clinical negligence

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  • Gavin83
    Gavin83 Posts: 8,739
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    katie4 wrote: »
    Thanks Gavin however we have not asked for compensation which is why were were confused when they said it is going redress for negligence we just had to let them know about the appauling treatment of my husband

    I didn't say you did ask. However I've already said what you should do, which is:

    "You'd be better off asking for an apology (although honesty you might not get it) and a reassurance that training/notice is given that such an issue is medical and won't reoccur."
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812
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    Carrot007 wrote: »
    Tough one, there apepar to be issues on both side (from the little you have given).


    Who told you to go away? If it was that bad you should have waited untill seen by a doctor and yes you can insist upon that regardless of what the front desk or triage person thinks. They are not a doctor. Sometimes you have to push your point.


    Why did you go to a different a&e? That just sound odd. Why did you not go back to the first (or why did you choose the first anyway). It always going to be different on a different day. Why did you also wait another day? Did you return to the dentist as advised?


    Yes you have been trated bad and yes it is becuase of both cuts and idiots clogging up a&e with trivial nonsence they do not need to. But it sounds like you decided that they were right and took their advise. If you thought otherwise you would have stayed or gone elsewhere right away. Ity is unfortunate that they have so little resources and need to try to turn away poepl who do not need the service and can sometimes focus on the wrong thing. But if you knew better you did not seem to help.


    (this comes from someone who had a family member who would have died if they had not insisted on seeing a doctor at a&e when the other staff wanted to turn them away).

    So the op should have known to ignore the doctor. Hindsight is a great thing.Not everyone has the kind of personality to do that.
  • Manxman_in_exile
    Manxman_in_exile Posts: 8,380
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    edited 9 November 2018 at 5:31PM
    Carrot007 wrote: »
    Tough one, there apepar to be issues on both side (from the little you have given).


    Who told you to go away? If it was that bad you should have waite untill seen by a doctor and yes you can insist upon that regardless of what the front desk or triage person thinkds. They are not a doctor
    . Sometimes you have to push your point.


    Why did you go to a different a&e? That just sound odd. Why did you not go back to the first (or why did you choose the first anyway). It always going to be different on a different day. Why did you also wait another day? Did you return to the dentist as advised?


    Yes you have been trated bad and yes it is becuase of both cuts and idiots clogging up a&e with trivial nonsence they do not need to. But it sounds like you decided that they were right and took their advise. If you thought otherwise you would have stayed or gone elsewhere right away. Ity is unfortunate that they have so little resources and need to try to turn away poepl who do not need the service and can sometimes focus on the wrong thing. But if you knew better you did not seem to help.


    (this comes from someone who had a family member who would have died if they had not insisted on seeing a doctor at a&e when the other staff wanted to turn them away).


    I assumed from the outset that they had been told to go away by a doctor. I'm certain that neither a receptionist nor a triage nurse is qualified to tell someone with lockjaw to "go away". It's a potentially serious condition.


    I would have thought it bl00dy obvious why they didn't return to the first A&E dept. They'd already been told to go away. I'd have done the same as them.


    Of course they took advise (sic) from the first A&E doctor. I don't expect the OP and her husband to have any detailed medical knowledge and they are entitled to rely on an A&E doctor to deliver a reasonable and competent level of care.


    I also think their dentist advised it was a maxillo-facial issue and needed medical treatment.


    I don't see any failing on the part of the OP and her husband. They've acted perfectly reasonably and have been badly treated by one doctor.
  • Post #4 states that the NHS (or NHS Litigation Authority) spent (or wasted) £1.63 bn on clinical negligence pay outs.


    I worked in Workforce Development in the NHS and often wondered if this money could be kept in the NHS if only trusts paid more attention to workforce training and development and tried harder to minimise the risk of negligence.


    Unfortunately this costs money and the four different governments I worked under don't seem to realise this.
  • Whilst this is the right answer, a written apology would be used by some to screw even more,in the way of compensation, out of them.[/QUOTE]


    This one of the reasons trusts are reluctant to issue apologies as they might be seen as an admission of liability - depending on how it's worded - and then it may not be an apology! (But in any case the OP and her husband say they only want an apology.)


    If I remember correctly, trusts essentially self-insure by paying an annual subscription to the NHS Litigation Authority and they deal with negligence cases. They nay have conditions about apologies. (I may be totally wrong and out of date about this as I retired six years ago. Arrangements may be different now).
  • Les79
    Les79 Posts: 1,337 Forumite
    pramsay13 wrote: »
    I think you should say to them an apology is perfectly acceptable thank you very much and then sleep easy in the knowledge that you have not added to last year's £1.63bn bill for damages.
    https://resolution.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NHS-Resolution-Annual-Report-2017-2018.pdf



    You see, I don't like this sort of post... The criticism is aimed at the wrong people. It should be aimed at the government. They are responsible for NHS funding (the quality and number of doctors etc) as well as the driving force behind initiatives like this which aim to reduce the costs of unnecessary litigation (have read the blurb in the above link and it sounds like they are on the right track at the moment).


    BEAR IN MIND that the NHS have effectively put money aside to pay people like OP to prevent court action. That's literally the point of that "£1.63bn" you quote, and morally it is on par with the likes of claiming benefits or legal tax relief (if you are genuinely eligible; potentially like with OP)
  • Pennywise
    Pennywise Posts: 13,468
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    Pennywise - you are an accountant? I've often wondered if limited liability accountancy partnerships are now a little more reckless than they would be if the partners were still personally liable?

    Accountants must have PI insurance to cover claims, so makes no difference re negligence, compensation, etc., whether it's personal liability, limited liability etc. Just that you'd suffer higher PI insurance costs in future years if you get a claim against you which is the motivation for not making mistakes. (Also the risk of being fined by your professional institute or being struck off if your mistakes were really serious). The unlimited/limited liability issue is only relevant in case of business failure and it being insolvent, where you may personally have to cover business debts (taxes, rents, etc) if you don't have limited liability.
  • Pennywise wrote: »
    ...Just that you'd suffer higher PI insurance costs in future years if you get a claim against you which is the motivation for not making mistakes...


    Thank you. I think that applies to clinical negligence damages too.
  • Les79 wrote: »
    You see, I don't like this sort of post... The criticism is aimed at the wrong people. It should be aimed at the government. They are responsible for NHS funding (the quality and number of doctors etc) as well as the driving force behind initiatives like this which aim to reduce the costs of unnecessary litigation (have read the blurb in the above link and it sounds like they are on the right track at the moment).


    BEAR IN MIND that the NHS have effectively put money aside to pay people like OP to prevent court action. That's literally the point of that "£1.63bn" you quote, and morally it is on par with the likes of claiming benefits or legal tax relief (if you are genuinely eligible; potentially like with OP)


    Well said.
  • katie4
    katie4 Posts: 430
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    Hi would anyone know how long we can expect it to take to hear something? thanks
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