Medics Miss Grandmother's Broken Neck

It was recently reported in the news how a grandmother, aged 89, died after suffering complications from a broken neck.  Her family state that her broken neck was repeatedly missed by paramedics and her GP, leaving her in pain and being told to "take paracetamol".  She was not given an x-ray until three weeks after the initial fall and this was when the broken neck was discovered.  This poor lady died shortly afterwards in a care home having become paralysed from the neck down. 

 

Her son said: 'It is possible that my mother's neck condition would have been discovered earlier had she been taken for further assessment, during one of these earlier attendances.' 

 

The NHS safely treats millions of patients every year and more often than not does an excellent job.  Sadly however there are occasions when things do go wrong causing harm to a patient, as demonstrated above.  These can include delay in referral by a GP to a specialist, delay in diagnosis, a doctor/specialist made an incorrect diagnosis or negligent surgery where errors were made during or after surgery.  Mistakes like these can have severe and long-lasting consequences for a patient including personal injury and financial loss. 

 

When a claim is brought against the NHS, it highlights where an error has been made and more often than not the hospital will review its policies and procedures in place to ensure that it doesn't happen again.  Making patient safety a priority will ensure that the NHS is a safer place for all and reduce the likelihood of the same error being repeated. 

 

For more information on medical negligence (also known as clinical negligence) visit our webpage by clicking here or telephone 01925 937070.