Medical negligence at the hands of dirty doctors

When it comes to avoiding medical negligence two of the most important things within a hospital are good medical staff who perform well at their respective jobs and a high level of cleanliness so that any diseases that are spread via physical contact or through the air are kept at bay.

Medical journalist, W Gifford-Jones, has stated that, "In 1846 when the first obstetrical hospital was opened in Vienna, one in eight pregnant women died from puerperal fever. Professor Ignacz Semmelweiss dramatically ended these deaths by demanding that doctors wash their hands after doing an autopsy and before delivering a baby."

You would hope that hospital sanitation had improved somewhat since the 19th century although it seems that cases of medical negligence caused by hospital staff failing to maintain high levels of cleanliness are still at large.

According to Gifford-Jones, some doctors are still neglecting to wash their hands, "Doctors, even infectious disease specialists, often fail to wash their hands, spreading germs from one patient to another."

Outbreaks of superbugs such as MRSA, a bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics, have even been attributed to the fact that standards of hygiene have slipped in UK wards. It is vital that doctors and nurses wash their hands or use antiseptic wipes between treating patients, especially seriously ill patients whose immune systems are already extremely low and vulnerable to infection.

There has even been talk of bringing back the role of a ward matron to take responsibility for cleanliness and reduce the increasing rate of hygiene-related medical negligence.

Medical staff may also commit medical negligence by not ensuring that their medical equipment is properly cleaned or disposed of and providing insufficiently hygienic post-operative care. There have been cases where medical instruments have been used during surgery without having been adequately disinfected beforehand, subsequently causing serious personal injury to patients.

Careless medical staff have also been responsible for leaving used hypodermic needles lying around which leave patients, visitors and staff all at risk of sustaining a needle-stab injury and contracting viruses such as Hepatitis or HIV. If negligent medical staff leave urinary catheters in their patients too long after surgery this can also lead to nasty infections.

Make a medical negligence claim through YouClaim today
If you have been exposed to medical negligence attributed to poor hygiene levels, a failure for the correct level of anaesthetic to be administered, misdiagnosis or in any other instance then you may be able to make a compensation claim against the health organisation responsible.

Although the thought of taking on a large organisation can be daunting YouClaim are here to make sure that the claims process is as trouble-free for you as possible. We will appoint you a personal injury solicitor who specialises in medical negligence claims and will always be at hand to offer you free legal advice.

Making a compensation claim through us is not only hassle-free but also completely cost-free. As well as working on a no win, no fee basis we will not charge you a penny for costs or fees at any stage, no matter whether you win or lose your claim. We also promise not to deduct anything for ourselves so you will always receive every penny of compensation awarded to you.

To make a compensation claim for medical negligence today either fill out an online claim form, chat to one of our friendly claim advisors online, leave a call back request so that we can get back to you or give us a call right away on 0800 10 757 95.