Negligence? nhs major mishap

cathbluenose · 5th August 2006, 14:32

back in 2004 I was seriously ill - I was only 26 at the time so very young. I had a blood clot in my head and also had a haemmorhage (bleed) in the head. I was initially in my main Local hospital in an intensive care unit where undoubtedley they saved my life and am most grateful. I was then transferred to a specialist hospital which I shall keep nameless as i know they do a very good job. I was initially on a small ward of about 8 people, I was coherant and mobile enough to use the loo so off I went and took myself off to spend a penny which incidentally was directly opposite the nurses station by about 3 yards. Whilst attempting to negotiate my clothing to sit I felt funny and was about to have yet another fit. Have you ever seen those orange emergency cords which you pull in an emergency? well I pulled on it and guess what? It came OUT of the ceiling and I was left on the floor helpless fitting. When I came to I could hear my dad, boyfriend and a nurse outside shouting my name but I couldn't speak and my hand wouldn't move towards the door, they eventually got in and iot also transpired that the nurses had told my dad and boyfriend I was downstairs having a scan!! i'd already had the scan in fact earlier and I was helpless in the toilet whilst they sat waiting by my bed whilst I was having a scan!!unbeleivable. The nurses said we could make a complaint but we chose not to incase it compromised my level of care. I still have nightmares about this and I would dread for it to happen to my worst enemy let alone anyone else. Can i stll complain and where do I stand legally on this can anyone advise?
Thanks

parmaviolette · 9th August 2006, 12:49

I'm not an expert on anything, but I think I can give you some advice...
you talk about complaining, but what is it that you want? If you just want to alert someone to a problem, to do with organisation or the safety of the emergency help cords, then you will have no problems if you keep sending letters to people with authority until they agree to look into the problem. (If you really wanted them to do something, and they were being really stubborn, you could threaten to, or really go to, a national newspaper with your story.)

If you want compensation, then you'll need to follow a different route entirely. You would need to show that the negligence of the hospital (and/or its staff) had caused you to lose out in some way. You don't mention needing extra time off work or anything because of what happened, although if you did need extra time off then you could try to make a claim. It seems that the worst aspect for you is having nightmares about the incident, in which case for compensation you would need to argue that they had caused you emotional distress, or something similar. For this I guess you would need a doctor/ psychologist's report, which stated that you had nightmares and that they affected your mental health detrimentally. If you go to your doctor stating the nightmares as a problem and asking to see a psychologist, then you might be referred, in which case a general report would be free. Otherwise, these kinds of reports can be costly, and they often only state the very minimum information. Although if you won the case, you would probably be able to claim the cost of the report back.

cathbluenose · 10th August 2006, 13:52

thanks for that. I guess its just been so long - 2 years that I don't really feel I have a leg to stand on but I will write a letter to the authority involved to highlight the problem I encountered. many thanks for the advice!

bridle · 21st November 2006, 22:06

Hi

If the incident happened 2 years ago unfortunatly the hospital does not have to listen to your complaint as the time limit for making complaints has well passed.

If you want to persue the hospital for compensation (which i think you should get solictors advice for this) then you have 3 years from the date of the accident or last treatment.

If i was you i would contact a solicitor that deals with these kinds of cases but make sure that you get one that does no win no fee.

hunkston · 30th January 2008, 10:08

what has been said here is correct there are time limits so if you or anyone you know has any queries about negligence again you should contact a specialist solicitor ASAP

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