The family of a mother who died despite being sent home from hospital is seeking medical negligence compensation.

An inquest has heard how Brenda Innes went to Royal Lancaster Infirmary in January last year complaining of chest pains, back pains and vomiting. She later sadly passed away after suffering a dissecting aorta, a tear in the wall of the aorta in the heart.

Numerous tests were performed in the hospital, including blood tests and chest x-rays. Locum worker Dr Cornelia Belgraver suspected Ms Innes could be suffering from a dissecting aorta and carried out two blood pressure tests. However, she then discussed the case with consultant Dr Jeremy Harrison and they ruled out the possibility of the heart condition.

At the inquest, Dr Harrison admitted that he ruled out the condition as it is only usually found in males over the age of 60. He also admitted to never examining the 43 year old mother.

The Lancashire Evening Post newspaper has reported that the Doctors sent home Ms Innes and told her to return if her pain worsened. She was readmitted on the dame day with excruciating chest pains and died shortly after.

Hospitals in the North East of England paid out a staggering £113 million pounds in negligence compensation for medical mistakes during the course of the last government.

Figures recently released to the Sunderland Sunday Sun newspaper under a freedom of information request have highlighted the extent of medical negligence in the regions hospitals. The £113 million was split between a total of 39 patients who suffered poor treatment by the NHS.

The biggest payouts were made by Sunderland City Hospitals NHS Trust who was culpable for over £28 million of the total. Other Trusts that paid out large amounts include County Durham and Darlington (£16 million) and North Tees Hospitals (£15 million).

Compensation is most commonly paid out for mistakes during surgery by the NHS, although injuries caused during birth are also high amongst the causes of negligence compensation payments.

Spokespeople for the relevant NHS Trusts were quick to point out the rarity of serious mistakes happening during standard NHS treatment. They also backed the right and fairness of compensating people who unfortunately had suffered at the hands of negligence.

The family of a boy, who is severely disabled due to mistakes in his birth, have won a compensation claim for negligence from the NHS.

Jensen Carter was born at University Hospital Durham during 2003. Due to a delay in his delivery, he was starved of oxygen in the womb and as a result was born with cerebral palsy and brain damage. He now has problems with speech, and his cerebral palsy affects all four of his limbs.

Liability for the delay in his birth had already been admitted by County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust, but a substantial figure of compensation has now been awarded at London’s High Court. Although the figure has not been released, it is common for birth injury compensation settlements to run into the millions. They also usually consist of a lump sum payment, with annual payments to follow that cover the cost of care.

County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust issued an apology to Jensen and his family and wished them the best for the future. His mum has set up a fund to help the school that Jensen attends – Percy Hedley School – which has helped her son so much. The appeal has already raised £500,000 for the specialist school.

The family of a teenager who tragically passed away in a Yorkshire Hospital are making a medical negligence claim alleging sub-standard treatment.

Laura Garner sadly passed away last September after being admitted to Bradford Royal Infirmary. The 18 year old trainee hairdresser died some 24 hours after her admittance, after no diagnosis had been made as to her condition. She was suffering from sepsis and acute pyelonephritis, a serious infection of the kidney.

Her parents, Steve and Anne, claim she received poor treatment at the Hospital and that her life could have been saved. They allege that a report made after her death states that Laura was not given the antibiotics she needed by the hospital. It is also in the report that her temperature, pulse and breathing were not recorded for 12 hours on the day before her death. The Hospital’s own report states that there were “deficiencies in basic medical processes” in the treatment of Laura.

The couple are now planning a legal case against Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who runs the Hospital. They are attempting to claim compensation for the untimely and needless death of their daughter.

The family of a man who was abandoned by the hospital who were meant to treat him has been given medical negligence compensation for the incident.

Arnold Siddall went to complain about the noise coming from The Lock Bar near his home in Failsworth, Manchester He was pushed to the floor, hitting his head hard on the pavement in a confrontation outside. He fractured his skull and was taken to Royal Oldham Hospital casualty department by paramedics. Unfortunately, Mr Siddall died just two days after the incident.

The medical records on his admission only noted that he had been drinking, and not that he had a head injury. He was given a category 3 priority and advised to be treated within an hour. He soon told staff he wanted to leave and despite falling over was allowed to walk out. He was then spotted numerous times in the grounds of the Hospital by security staff. He was seen falling, vomiting and holding his head, but it was assumed he was drunk and was not approached or reported to doctors. He was eventually approached by Police in the grounds after wandering about for 12 hours. He suffered a fit in the back of the Police van and later died in Hospital.

It was reported to the Manchester Evening News that Pennine Acute Trust who operates the Hospital paid compensation to Mr Siddall’s family as well as offering an apology.

The family of a child who suffered serious injury at birth has won over £9 million pounds for their medical negligence claim.

Lewis Merrigan was born at Northampton General Hospital in the summer of 2002. Shortly before his birth, hospital staff failed to notice signs that everything was not proceeding as normal. His foetal heart rate dropped, causing him foetal distress. Because of these failings, Lewis was starved of oxygen and was born with brain damage as a result.

The brain damage he suffered at birth has had a dramatic effect on Lewis’ life. He cannot walk or stand, as he has little control over his arms and legs. He also suffers from epilepsy.

Earlier this week a compensation settlement was agreed at the High Court in London. The package agreed to will result in annual payments for the rest of Lewis’ life to pay for his extensive care requirements. The total compensation paid to the Merrigan’s is expected to rise above £9 million pounds.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust had previously written to the Merrigan’s to offer its sincere apologies for the sub-standard level of care that Lewis received.

New figures released have revealed that the NHS spends on average £2 million pounds a day paying out medical negligence compensation to patients who have suffered at the hands of mistakes by doctors and staff.

There were 406 cases reported of serious untoward incidents during the course of 2009, which works out at a rise of 21% on the figures from 2008. Some of these serious incidents include surgery on wrong parts of the body and incorrect medicine being given. More worryingly was one case in which a patient had a hole drilled in the wrong side of his head.

The figure of 406 incidents can be broken down even further. They resulted from 115 mistakes in surgery and 212 cases of mistakes in the type and dose of medicine given.

There are quite obvious fears that cases like these could see the amount of compensation paid out by the NHS sky-rocket. It currently pays out around £769 million pounds in compensation a year, which averages at £2 million a day.

NHS Trusts are required to keep reports on such serious incidences and report them to regional bodies. However the worry is that many such cases are being swept under the carpet by staff worried of the consequences. The actual figure of incidences of patients safety being put at risk is thought to be more likely in the thousands.

A mother from Sheffield is making a medical negligence claim after her daughter suffered brain damage following a kidney transplant.

Rebecca Hayes had been a healthy baby but suffered from renal failure as a toddler. She underwent a kidney transplant at Nottingham City Hospital in 1999. Unfortunately she soon suffered from an infection and was readmitted. She was sent home after medication but here is where the problems started. It is alleged that the hospital failed to record and monitor Rebecca’s blood pressure and told her family that abnormal symptoms such as failing to recognise family members were perfectly normal. She was rushed back to the hospital a few days later with high blood pressure, and suffered a brain haemorrhage.

The haemorrhage had a devastating effect on Rebecca leaving her with severe brain damage. Now at the age of 14, she has an IQ of 46 and the mental capacities of a 5 year old. She is fed by a tube, uses a catheter, occasionally a wheelchair and suffers from epilepsy.

Rebecca’s mother is making the claim on her behalf, claiming that the hospital could have done more to stop the haemorrhage occurring. This includes monitoring her blood pressure and providing medicine to control it. She also claims they were negligent for not re-admitting her after her unusual symptoms.

The writ for this case has just been issued at the High Court.

The mother of a five year old girl who suffered an injury at birth which left her severely disabled has won her compensation claim for damages.

Rosie Snell was born at Watford General Hospital in October 2004 but unfortunately there were complications in her birth which led to a severe disability. Her mother blamed a delay in delivery for the disability and sued the NHS Trust. Rosie suffered from oxygen deprivation in the womb which left her with cerebral palsy. She now requires costly twenty four-seven care.

On Tuesday West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust agreed to a multi-million pound compensation package for Rosie after her mother had took them to London’s High Court on her behalf. The Trust continued to deny liability for the disability despite agreeing to the compensation package which was agreed by the court. The NHS Trust did admit regret however, and offer Rosie and the family all the best for the future.

The substantial payout will pay for Rosie’s round-the-clock care and accommodation needs for the rest of her life. Her family expressed her relief at the outcome and security it will bring to Rosie. However, they confirmed that no amount of money could make up for losing a healthy child.

A man who was disabled at birth has lost his compensation claim case against the doctor who delivered him.

Conan Ingram suffers from cerebral palsy after there were problems with his mother’s pregnancy. At a High Court hearing, his mother – Anita Jones – reported that she described to a Dr Williams that she had lost fluid. Instead of suggesting that her waters had broken or investigating if she had suffered a rupture of the womb membrane he diagnosed cystitis. Conan was born at home but required immediate resuscitation, he was then taken to Wrexham’s Maelor General Hospital soon after. He was left with cerebral palsy and requires the use of a wheelchair for the entirety of his life.

His mother launched the compensation claim on her son’s behalf in order to pay for his future care. She argued that his disabilities would have been less acute if Dr Williams had investigated if a rupture to the womb membrane had occurred. She argued that his diagnosis was “over-confident” due to the haste in which he made it. The judge presiding over the case came to the conclusion that the claim was unsuccessful as Dr Williams had listened to Ms Jones’ complaints completely.