Negligent Treatment in Accident and Emergency
Accident and Emergency Departments are probably the busiest place in a hospital, with a new patient arriving on average every ten minutes. With such a demanding and fast-paced environment, it is unfortunately not uncommon for mistakes to be made. However, this is not an excuse medical professionals can rely on. Indeed, if medical errors in A&E cause you to suffer injury, you will have been the victim of a substandard level of care. This means that you could be entitled to make a medical negligence claim.
Why Are Errors Made in A&E?
There are a number of contributing factors which explain why medical errors are made in A&E Departments. Firstly, people who have either suffered sudden trauma or become very unwell will usually bypass their GP and head directly for A&E. There is, therefore, a high frequency of people with a variety of different complaints. This means that not only must staff work quickly, they must also have an in-depth knowledge of various medical conditions.
Working at speed will also inevitably lead to mistakes, particularly with regard to poor quality record keeping, communication between staff and other human errors (such as prescribing errors). Furthermore, A&E Departments are often made up of junior doctors who lack experience and training.
With all these factors at play, it is hardly surprising medical errors in A&E occur. Some of the most common of these include:-
- Wrongly diagnosed orthopaedic injuries – eg. a missed fracture;
- Foreign objects left inside wounds;
- Wrongly diagnosed heart attacks;
- Failure to arrange scans or tests;
- Failure to properly interpret scan or test results;
- Delay in diagnosis.
Can You Claim Compensation?
If you have suffered as a result of A&E medical negligence, you could be entitled to compensation. To find out for certain, you need to speak to a medical negligence solicitor. After discussing the details of the case with you, a legal expert will quickly be able to suggest whether or not you have been the victim of an unacceptable level of care. If so, you will have the option to pursue a claim.
If your claim is successful, you will be awarded compensation for the pain and suffering your negligent A&E treatment has caused. You will also be able to recover the financial damages you have incurred as a direct consequence of your injury. For example, if you have had to take time off work, you will be able to recover your loss of earnings.
Speak to a Solicitor
Medical negligence claims often have to be started within three years of the incident in question. So if you believe you have been caused physical or emotional injury due to A&E negligence, do not delay in seeking expert legal advice from a medical negligence solicitor.
Can We Help You With A Medical Negligence Enquiry?
Early legal assistance can be vital so please contact us if you would like to discuss your situation. Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
Can We Help You With A Medical Negligence Enquiry?
Early legal assistance can be vital so please contact us if you would like to discuss your situation. Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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