|
Geographical distribution
The medical negligence in these summaries occurred in: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge , Cumbria, Devon, Essex, Gloucestershire, Huntingdon, Kent, Lancashire, Liverpool, London (Central, North, South, East & West), Norfolk, Shropshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Wiltshire, Yorkshire and in the USA.
Health regime
The health system of the hospitals and GP practices where negligence occurred in these cases were variously: NHS, UK Private medicine, NHS/Private (GSUP), US Military and US Civilian.
Dispute resolution mechanism
The cases were resolved variously: without legal proceedings, shortly after proceedings had been commenced, or later in proceedings. Many cases were resolved at mediation and a very few cases (less than 3%) were concluded by a judge at trial.
Settlement amounts
Every case is unique in its poor medical outcome for the patient. A good deal of caution should be used when considering the amount of settlement. Many factors affect the valuation of a claim, for example life expectancy, effect on earnings, prognosis and the amount of care the patient needs. Some of the cases listed are from our archives and so do not reflect the damages that would be paid today, since recent compound increases in the level of damages awards generally. In some cases there were liability grounds to compromise for a lesser sum. In others the claimant particularly wanted to see an early end to the claim process.
Human emotional outcomes
These brief case summaries do not attempt to describe the emotional effect –devastation, caused in many of these circumstances. We see lives shattered and sometimes ended by serial human errors that are often a repeat of the same well recognised error. By describing these errors and raising awareness, it is hoped that repetitions may be avoided.
|
