When Can I Get Compensation for Necrotising Fasciitis Disability?
You may be able to get compensation for disability due to necrotising fasciitis if it is found that the medical professionals who were involved in your care were in some way negligent, causing you to suffer a worse outcome than should have been the case with an acceptable level of care.
Necrotising fasciitis and long-term disability
The level of disability which can sometimes be associated with necrotising fasciitis is truly shocking. This soft-tissue infection causes the decay of all the tissue it infects. Furthermore, it can spread rapidly through the body's connective tissue, causing increasing levels of destruction and loss of function.
Without medical help, the patient will die. With timely medical intervention, they may recover well with minimal scarring. With delayed medical aid, and depending on where the infection originated and how long the patient has been waiting for diagnosis and care, they may suffer physical deformity, organ dysfunction, loss of a limb or bowel problems.
Medical negligence in necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis worsens over time. As the infection spreads, the damage to the patient's body increases. Therefore, early diagnosis and emergency surgery are essential to preventing the patient from suffering potentially appalling consequences.
If medical professionals, whether in primary or secondary care, cause a delay in this process, and therefore a worse outcome for the patient, they may be regarded as negligent.
Examples of errors which might cause a delay could include the following:
- A failure by a medical professional to carry out an examination when it would normally have been regarded as appropriate and would have led to earlier intervention
- A failure to recognise or at least suspect the patient's symptoms as being possibly indicative of a life-threatening soft-tissue infection
- A delay in making a referral for specialist intervention or a failure to make a referral
- A delay in initiating surgery and antibiotics to tackle the infection
Making a claim
It is important to bear in mind that compensation claims for medical negligence are associated with a three year deadline from the date of the alleged negligence. Prior to that deadline, an investigation in to the patient medical care has to be carried out. Therefore, if you think that you or a loved one may be in a position to make a claim, it is essential that you speak to a legal specialist at the earliest moment.
Legal advice
Glynns Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with a team of experienced solicitors and a long-standing history of success in high-value claims.
We can offer No Win No Fee funding for medical negligence claims which we will discuss with you during your free initial telephone discussion.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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