More than 300 patients are dying each month due to medical errors, an NHS England safety study has found.
Between the end of March 2013 and the end of March 2014, around 3,588 NHS patients died from medical errors.
During the latter six months, 683,883 patients in England and Wales suffered harm or were exposed to risk, a 6.4 per cent rise from the same period the previous year.
The level harm was rated “severe” in 3,479 cases and “serious” in 44,895 cases. Around 6 per cent experienced “medium harm” and over 25 per cent suffered “low harm”, meaning the patient required minor treatment.
“The tip of the iceberg”
Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action for Victims of Medical Accidents, said: “These figures are terrible and show that four years after Stafford the NHS has still got a long way to go in protecting its patients from error.
“Not all deaths are being reported. This is only the tip of the iceberg, we all know the death toll and the numbers suffering serious harm is much higher. Several thousand cases of serious harm and death may only be less than 1 per cent, but it is far too many.”
Have you suffered due to medical error?
If you or your family member has suffered injury due to medical error, please get in touch with us today to discuss your options. If we believe there has been a case of medical negligence, you will be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation.
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