New Guidance CES Medical Management and Compensation for Negligence
New guidance for the management of cauda equina syndrome, from diagnosis to post-operative care, has been issued recently with the aim of delivering a timely approach to care of this life-changing condition.
New CES Pathway
In collaboration with a wide range of health professionals, GIRFT (Get It Right First Time) has produced and published a new CES pathway. Regardless of the patient's first point of presentation, whether at hospital or at the GP surgery, it identifies best practice in the diagnosis, referral, treatment and post-operative care of patients with suspected cauda equina syndrome.
Delays in the diagnosis and treatment of cauda equina syndrome can have utterly catastrophic outcomes for the patient. If this shocking spinal condition is not diagnosed at the earliest stages, the patient may suffer permanent disability in the form of double incontinence, loss of mobility and loss of sexual function and sensation.
The long-term implications of the quality of life for the patient and their family are devastating. The patient may be deprived of the capacity to work and may even have to move home in order to be able to remain independent and function safely within their own home.
MRI Guidance
A timely MRI scan is fundamental to the process of diagnosis for this terrible condition. If 24-hour, seven-day-a-week MRI facilities are not available, a patient's diagnosis may be delayed and their condition may deteriorate.
The Clinical Imaging Board has issued new guidance relating to MRI Scans and CES, addressing the vital issues of timing, access to facilities and reporting, amongst other factors.
The requirement for all acute services to have 24/7 MRI facilities by 2024 is a key component of the new guidance.
Negligent care and claiming compensation
This new, wide-ranging guidance is crucial in improving patient outcomes as negligent medical care relating to cauda equina syndrome can occur at a number of points:
- A failure to recognise possible symptoms
- A misdiagnosis
- A delay in referral for an MRI scan
- A failure to provide red flag warnings
- A delay in the reporting of an MRI scan
- A delay in initiating decompression surgery
If negligent medical care of cauda equina syndrome has caused a patient to suffer a worse outcome than would have been the case with an acceptable level of care, it may be possible to make a claim for compensation.
Speak to a legal specialist
Glynsn Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with a long-standing history of successful high-value cauda equina claims.
Contact us today to talk to a specialist solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
Contact us to speak with a specialist solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim.
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