Lawford Kidd's Blog

A 21-year-old woman from Fife has been awarded just under £62,000 in compensation for a medical error that led to the loss of her two front teeth as a child, reports STV.

The woman had attended the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy when she was six for a routine operation to remove her tonsils. When she woke up after the surgery, she found her two front adult teeth had been knocked out. Attempts were made to re-root the teeth, but these were ultimately unsuccessful.

Since then, she has undergone a number of different treatments, and faces the prospect of more treatment in the future. She also claims she was bullied as a child because of her teeth.

The health authority had admitted liability for the incident, but disputed the £100,000 damages claim. According to STV, a civil jury at the Court of Session awarded her £38,000 for her pain and suffering, £8500 for services and £15,300 for future dental costs.

The Department of Health has published the terms of reference for two reviews established following the recent concerns about PIP implants.

The first review, led by Lord Howe, the Minister for Quality, will establish what happened in the UK when the MHRA and Department of Health learnt about the situation with PiP implants in France. Lord Howe will submit a report to the Health Secretary by the end of March.

The second review will be led by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS Medical Director, and will look at whether the cosmetic surgery industry needs to be more effectively regulated. This review will take around a year to complete given the complexities of the issues. He will aim to give a report to the Health Secretary by March 2013.

In particular, it will look at:

• whether the regulation of the products used in cosmetic interventions is appropriate;
• how best to assure patients and consumers that the people who carry out procedures have the skills to do so;
• how to ensure that the organisations which deliver such procedures have the clinical governance systems to assure the care and welfare of people who use their services;
• how to ensure that people considering such interventions are given the information, advice and time for reflection to make an informed choice;
• whether there should be a statutory requirement for such organisations to offer redress in the event of harm, and if so how this could be funded;
• what improvements are needed in systems for reporting patient outcomes, including adverse events, for central analysis and surveillance.

The review will consider issues of governance, data quality, record keeping and surveillance, as well as ensuring that sufficient information is provided to secure patients’ informed consent. It will include consideration of the feasibility of an outcomes-based register of commonly implanted devices.

A 15-year-old boy has been awarded £6.5 million to meet the costs of his care requirements after a hospital error led to him suffering severe brain damage shortly after birth, reports the BBC.

Ewan Waker was sent home from hospital by midwives at Harold Wood Hospital in Havering, despite blood tests revealing that he had very low blood sugar levels. The severity of his condition was only picked up when a community midwife visited him and his mother at home.

The error led to Ewan suffering severe brain damage and needing specialist care for the rest of his life.

A National Enquiry has found that only half (48%) of high risk surgical patients received good care in UK hospitals; this is a group of patients who are already known to be at an increased risk of death and post-operative complications.

'Knowing the Risk', the latest National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) report, shows that 79% of the patients who died came from the high risk group.

Data collected at the time of surgery found that 21% of patients undergoing elective surgery had not been seen in an assessment clinic before their operation and in only 8% of patients defined as ‘high risk’ was risk of death stated on the patient’s consent form.

A father and his eleven year old son are suing Raigmore hospital in Inverness for over £200,000 in compensation after the death of the boy's mother and the baby girl she was carrying, reports the Scotland on Sunday.