Medical negligence compensation news
11/12/2007
1 in 10 patients suffer harm in NHS hospitals
Almost one in ten patients suffers harm while in an NHS hospital, according to research from the University of York published in the December 2007 issue of Quality and Safety in Health Care. Furthermore, the report suggests that 30 to 50 percent of these incidents are preventable, which may make medical negligence compensation claims more likely in the NHS.
Examples of harm recorded in this research include a spleen torn during an operation, leading to the patient needing six litres of blood to survive, a significant delay in a cancer diagnosis, and a catheter removed from a male patient without its balloon being deflated.
Although only 87 people were recorded as suffering an 'adverse event', the researchers' presumption is that more were harmed, resulting in the 10% claim. These events included infections, complications from drugs and operations, and a number of cases of bedsores. In ten percent of these 87, the adverse event resulted in, or contributed to, the patient's death.
The results also show that incidents from surgery were more frequent, though less likely to be preventable, whereas errors in diagnosis were less common but more preventable. It is only possible to make a medical negligence compensation claim in those cases that could have been prevented.
Professor Trevor Sheldon, leader of the University of York research team, said that this is not a sign that the NHS is failing, adding that "this is an international issue, and other countries have similar or worse rates."
The research only covers a single major acute hospital in the North East of England. The assumption that this hospital is representative may not be true, meaning that these figures may vary around the country. However, this does not mean they should be discounted.
The NHS is focusing on spreading best practice and promoting knowledge as a method to reduce preventable incidents and the need for medical negligence compensation. A system is in place to monitor all adverse events and 'near misses' - adverse events that are narrowly avoided - and the National Patient Safety Agency was set up in 2001 to focus on ensuring the system's lessons have effects on NHS practice.
Professor Sheldon supports this approach, claiming that finger-pointing is not the answer. A representative from the Department of Health stated, "We have long recognised patient safety as a top priority, and it is important to remember that serious failures are uncommon in relation to the volume of care provided by the NHS."
Those patients who do suffer adverse events will therefore be helping to prevent future incidents, and - in cases of medical negligence - compensation may be available to them.
