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Clinical negligence victim wins compensation |
A clinical negligence victim who was mistakenly diagnosed with a virus has won a six-figure sum in damages.
Cristina Malcolm went to her GP after collapsing with a headache seven years ago, but the doctor and two hospital trusts failed to spot that she was suffering from a brain haemorrhage.
Her condition led to her later needing emergency brain surgery, but this left her with acute short-term memory loss.
Ms Malcolm is now unable to remember anything for longer than ten minutes and requires constant care from her husband Sandy.
A spokeswoman for County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said no words or amount of money can fully compensate the couple.
However, she said the organisation hopes there is "comfort in knowing that Mrs Malcolm will have financial security for the rest of her life and will be well cared for".
Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, a clinical negligence specialist at Kester Cunningham John, said: "In these tragic cases, compensation is only paid on a strictly as-required basis, with every item and care requirement for the long term being carefully costed; of course, none of this will bring back the families' quality of life."
"The amount paid out by the NHS reflects the level of errors made that have caused injury to patients and we will continue to campaign for higher standards in situations where NHS care is found to be substandard."
The payout comes shortly after figures obtained by the Conservative Party and the Sunday Express revealed that in the last year, the NHS has paid out £312 million in compensation settlements.
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