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Negligent Medical Care At Weekends
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    Negligent Medical Care At Weekends

    Knowledge and experience from a team who care

    In May 2013, a British Medical Journal (BMJ) study revealed that patients undergoing planned surgery were more likely to suffer fatal clinical negligence during the weekend than at the beginning of the week.

    Naturally, many individuals, medical authorities, and organisations – such as the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) – declared that these findings were unacceptable and that people should receive the same level of care from medical professionals throughout the week.

    Reasons behind the poor level of care

    Reportedly, the lack of experienced doctors on duty in hospitals during Saturdays and Sundays impacted the safety of patients undergoing elective surgical procedures.

    Furthermore, the lack of consultants available during emergency cases at the weekends meant that those patients were more likely to die than if they had been admitted earlier in the week.

    The team which undertook the study – led by a clinical reader in epidemiology and public health at Imperial College London – stated that the risk of a poor outcome to medical treatment increased every day after Monday.

    A spokesperson for the research team explained, “Compared with Monday, the adjusted odds of death [taking into account case mix] for all elective surgical procedures was 44% higher, and 82% higher, if the procedures were carried out on Friday or at the weekend respectively.”

    The study also found that the chances of patients dying or suffering other clinical negligence-related injuries were higher if having a lung removed, an operation to improve blood-flow to the heart, or surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

    Could you be entitled to a claim?

    The skill with which operations are undertaken, and the first 48 hours following surgery, are very important to an individual’s recovery, so a lower quality of care during certain days of the week is unacceptable.

    Fewer experienced staff could mean that a patient does not receive the care they require to successfully recover from their surgery or the initial injuries caused by their accident or illness.

    If you or a member of your family have suffered clinical negligence – which resulted in personal injury or illness – you could be eligible to claim compensation for your pain, suffering, and lost earnings.

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    Call our London office on 0800 280 0432 or our Brighton office on 0800 280 0432. You can also contact us online.
    Call Us Today
    London: 0800 280 0432 Brighton: 0800 280 0432 Or you can contact us online: Contact Us
    Key Contacts
    Headshot of Jonathan Austen-Jones
    Jonathan Austen-Jones
    Partner
    Meet the team
    Negligent Medical Care At Weekends capabilities
    Negligent Medical Care At Weekends experiences
    • Jonathan was able to help the husband of a 50 year old woman claim compensation after the hospital failed to diagnose her cancer. Mrs L attended hospital complaining of pain in her abdomen. She was discharged without further tests but unfortunately she died of thyroid cancer a few months later. Jonathan argued that the chance for a liver biopsy was missed during her visit to hospital and although this would not affect the unfortunate outcome, palliative care could have been arranged to ease Mrs L’s suffering. Jonathan was able to secure Mrs L’s husband a five figure sum in compensation.
    • Jonathan has also helped the family of a 71 year old man claim compensation after a complication in his surgery caused his death. Mr R was suffering from chest pains and was admitted to hospital for tests. He was found to have an issue with his heart and doctors attempted to rectify this with a surgical procedure. Unfortunately during this procedure an air pocket had got into one of his blood vessels which caused Mr R’s death. With expert medical evidence Jonathan was able to secure Mr R’s family £75,000 in compensation.
    • Jonathan helped X get further compensation and access to services to aid in his rehabilitation. X was a subject of sexual abuse from his step father between the ages of 5 and 7. Initial application for compensation was made in 1990 and X was awarded £10,000. After several attempts at his own life, X decided to contact Jonathan to seek further compensation. Jonathan was able to secure X £200,000 in compensation and an overall award of £1,200,000 inclusive of state benefits. More importantly Jonathan then arranged the Special Needs Trust to support X’s rehabilitation.
    • Jonathan helped the parents of Baby B claim compensation after a failure in care during labour resulted in Baby B’s death. Initially the Trust denied they were responsible for Baby B’s death but after negotiations the Trust admitted responsibility and Jonathan was able to negotiate an out of court settlement for Baby B’s parents.
    Negligent Medical Care At Weekends insights
    • Clinical Negligence – You’re Never Too Old to Seek Justice

      15th January 2021

      Elderly victims of clinical negligence who are approaching the end of their lives may feel there is little point seeking justice. However, they also have their loved ones to think about and a High Court case in which a woman in her 80s received six-figure damages showed how important it is to obtain legal advice. Continue reading »

    • Healys Recommended as Leading Firm in Legal 500

      23rd October 2020

      Healys LLP has again been recognised as a leading firm in the latest edition of the Legal 500.

      The Legal 500 directory provides comprehensive coverage on legal services providers in over 100 countries, with independent and unbiased commentary on the leading law firms.

      This year Healys has been ranked in 4 practice areas, with 8 lawyers individually recommended. Continue reading »

    Negligent Medical Care At Weekends awards
    Negligent Medical Care At Weekends news
    • Spring Budget 2021 Change ‘Generation Rent to Generation Buy’

      3rd March 2021

      In a bid to keep the UK economy stable, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces new plans to support home buyers

      During today’s Spring Budget announcement, the chancellor confirmed that he would boost support for home buyers through a mortgage guarantee.

      Several major lenders including Natwest, Lloyds, Barclays, Santander and HSBC have agreed to provide 95% mortgages to home buyers in return for a government guarantee on those mortgages.

      Low-deposit mortgage accessibility has declined since the pandemic started, which has made home-ownership unreachable for many. But the government hopes that these plans will give more people the support and opportunity to buy their own homes.

      It was also announced that the Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday in England and Northern Ireland will be extended for purchases up to £500,000 until the 30th June, meaning home buyers avoid the stamp duty levy on purchases under that amount. After this date, the starting rate of Stamp Duty will be £250,000 until the end of September, before returning to the previous level of £125,000.

      Daniel Winslow, Partner and Head of Leasehold Services at Healys LLP comments:

      “In the end then the announcement was largely as anticipated, but for perhaps a few additional reveals here and there. In my view extending the SDLT holiday will provide a much needed crutch for the economy to rest its weight whilst its other limbs scramble for footing as we move out of lockdown. The tapering back of the SDLT thresholds is also an interesting development and one which I am in favour of. Suddenly stopping the SDLT holiday (whether at the end of March or the end of June) would have almost certainly lead to a shock to the market and to the economy as a whole. By delaying and then tapering back the SDLT limit (and introducing the 95% mortgages) the government clearly hopes to either stop that from happening completely or at least turn that cliff edge many have been talking about into a downward hill to an eventual (hopefully high) plateau. If property transactions do decline then by the time we all get to that plateau the economy will hopefully be ready to throw away its crutch and start running!

      “In terms of the 95% mortgages, I think this is an excellent introduction, provided of course it is done safely. It will give many perfectly worthy potential homeowners the chance to achieve their dreams where previously they would have been priced out of the market. Much talk has been made of a lack of housing stock, but when has there ever been enough housing? Also, who says only the cash rich should be entitled to be homeowners? I think it helps provide a level playing field, and it is one that I am all for.”

      Healys LLP are award winning conveyancing solicitors based in London, Brighton & Sussex. Our conveyancing solicitors have a vast amount of experience in property law and we deal with all aspects, including the purchases & sales of homes, freeholds, leaseholds, shared ownership schemes, remortgaging, lease extensions and more. For more legal updates or legal advice, please visit Healys LLP’s website.

       

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    London: 0800 280 0432 Brighton: 0800 280 0432 Or you can contact us online: Contact Us
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