Lawford Kidd's Blog

A woman has been awarded an undisclosed amount of compensation after suffering a horrifying ordeal during surgery, reports the Telegraph.

Alexandra Bythell had attended Burnley General Hospital to have her appendix removed in 2010.

She initially fell asleep when the anaesthetic was administered, but apparently woke up a short time later to find herself on the operating table with her eyes taped closed and breathing tubes in her throat. She was unable to alert medical staff that she was awake because the drugs she had been administered had a paralysing effect. Fortunately she fell back asleep before the operation itself began.

An NHS Trust has admitted liability for the death of a baby, who was stillborn in August 2011, reports the BBC.

Deborah Horner gave birth to her stillborn daughter Abbie in St James’ Hospital in Leeds. She had previously had a miscarriage and this fact, together with her age (43) meant that her pregnancy was considered high risk.

However, the care she received in the run up to her delivery was described as falling “far short of the high standards of care” the hospital normally provided, reports the BBC. Record keeping was inaccurate, and a foetal heart trace reading was misinterpreted.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust is to pay out compensation worth several millions of pounds to a thirteen-year-old girl who suffered severe brain damage while undergoing treatment at the hospital, reports the BBC.

Maisha Najeeb suffers from a rare condition affecting her arteries and veins that can cause bleeding. When she was ten she attended the hospital for treatment that involved injecting special glue from a syringe into her body to block off a bleed. The doctors also had a second syringe containing a dye that they planned to inject into a brain artery to check her blood flow. The two syringes got mixed up, and glue was injected into Maisha’s brain, causing severe brain damage.

Maisha is now in a wheelchair, and relies on help for all day-to-day tasks. The hospital admitted liability and has apologised to Maisha and her family.

The NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) for England and Wales has called on NHS Trusts to apologise to patients when mistakes are made, and has issued further guidance on the subject.

Saying sorry when things go wrong is vital for the patient, their families and carers, as well as to support learning and improve safety, says the NHS LA.

It goes on to explain that 50% of patients who have suffered harm as a result of their healthcare wanted an apology and explanation. Patients, their families and carers should receive a meaningful apology – one that is a sincere expression of sorrow or regret for the harm that has occurred.

The Government has published its response to the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry, in which it sets out its plans to instil more openness, greater accountability and a relentless focus on safety within the NHS in England.

“Today’s measures are a blueprint for restoring trust in the NHS, reinforcing professional pride in NHS frontline staff and above all giving confidence to patients,” said Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. “I want every patient in every hospital to have confidence that they will be given the best and safest care and the way to do that is to be completely open and transparent.”

New changes in response to the independent recommendations include: