Hospital Negligence

Nobody enjoys having to go into Hospital  but when you do you have a right to be treated with all due care and attention. Fortunately, this is the case for the vast majority of people who have to visit the Hospital as an outpatient or are admitted for a longer stay.

There are occasions, however, where the treatment that you receive falls short of the standard expected. In these cases you may have a case for suing the Hospital for negligence.

In this article we will discuss the types of situations that may give rise to a claim being made against the Hospital.

Surgery Negligence

All surgery is very invasive and carries an element of risk irrespective of how minor the procedure may be. Because the surgery may not be successful is not in its self a reason to look for negligence. Negligence arises when something goes wrong normally due to human error.

There have been instances of instruments or swabs being left inside the patient after surgery has been completed. Although such instances are rare they would certainly constitute a reason to claim Hospital negligence.

The anaesthetic may be administered incorrectly causing pain and suffering during your operation.

Infection

Many patients contract MRSA while they are in hospital and this is very easily treated. There are however complications that can arise from this resulting in death. The Hospital normally takes all precautions necessary to prevent the spread of MRSA and any claim must show that they failed to do this.

Contracting MRSA itself is not negligent, only if you can show that the hospital did not have sufficient safeguards in place at the time.

Overdose or wrong diagnosis

Hospitals are very busy places and are certainly not infallible. There have been occasions where a patient has been given the wrong dose of medicine and this can cause irreversible damage. This can happen when communication breaks down and someone either mishears or misreads instructions.

You may be wrongly diagnosed and be treated for something irrelevant while the original problem becomes worse causing you more pain and suffering.

Sidebar: When considering a claim for Hospital Negligence contact it is important to understand that by their nature these medical negligence compensation claims are usually long drawn out affairs. As such it's important you choose a solicitor you are confident in and get on well with.

All UK Hospitals are run by an NHS Trust and it is they that your action would be against. If you feel that you want to explore the possibility of suing a hospital you should engage the services of an expert who will guide you through the correct procedure.

Legal and medical practices are amongst the most complicated professions that we have, Hospital negligence claims embrace both of them and going alone is really not an option. There are many experts that can help guide you through the very complicated road ahead and you should take advice before going any further. You do not need to advise the hospital of your intentions prior to seeking advice.