Lamb Brooks Solicitors is home to a large team of specialist lawyers who can assist clients with medical negligence claims.
It has been a busy period within our Clinical Negligence Department. Despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic on the Courts, medical experts, Coroners etc., we have managed to secure several great settlements on behalf of clients.
Delayed Diagnosis of Cardiac Disease
We recently settled a case for a lady who suffered extremely unpleasant symptoms over a number of years. These symptoms had a massive impact on her life, and she required a great deal of support from her family. It materialised that she had been diagnosed with a heart condition many years ago which, unfortunately, had not been acted upon. Liability was admitted and a full apology was made by the Hospital Trust. More importantly, she has now received the necessary treatment to relieve her of the debilitating symptoms that she had been suffering.
Failure to Follow Up on Shoulder Injury
We recently concluded a claim for a gentleman who suffered a serious shoulder injury following a fall. Although the injury was correctly diagnosed, there was a failure to provide follow-up appointments or advise his GP surgery of the diagnosis. This led to an extremely lengthy period of pain and our client was eventually unable to work. Fortunately, the injury was recognised after further medical appointments, and surgery took place six months after the injury, although it was complicated by the delayed diagnosis. We were delighted to achieve a settlement for the client, and we have also been advised that changes have taken place at this Hospital Trust to try and prevent this error from happening again.
Failure to Diagnose Cushing’s Disease
One of our most complicated cases which concluded this year was regarding a delayed diagnosis of Cushing’s Disease. Cushing’s Disease is quite rare and develops when the body makes too much cortisol hormone. Due to the complexity of this claim, we had to instruct numerous medical experts, a pension loss expert and a barrister on a number of occasions. Court proceedings were issued and the claim then settled in our client’s favour, after four years of extremely hard work.
Moving Forward
We have been instructed to investigate several claims where care took place in the first lockdown period. These cases relate to concerns about delayed appointments and treatment. We have also recently been instructed to investigate several pregnancy and birth claims. More on these cases will follow in a future update.
We are extremely optimistic that claims can continue to run smoothly and efficiently as the UK continues to react to the threat of Covid-19. Courts and Coroner’s Courts remain open, with virtual and telephone hearings becoming the ‘new normal’, and medical experts are now offering virtual appointments. Our offices are open and the team will continue to work hard to progress claims and achieve settlements for our clients. We offer virtual or telephone appointments and can see clients face to face where this is required, upon prior appointment.
If you would like to discuss concerns about treatment or matters relating to an Inquest, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team on 01256 844888, email enquiries@lambbrooks.com or use our 24/7 website chat facility. All discussions are confidential and without obligation.
The contents of this article are for the purposes of general awareness only. They do not purport to constitute legal or professional advice. The law may have changed since this article was published. Readers should not act on the basis of the information included and should take appropriate professional advice upon their own particular circumstances.