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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.
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.
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.
24th May 2019
No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, but it can at least soften the financial blow. In one case, the widow and four children of a man who was struck down by a hit-and-run driver achieved a seven-figure settlement of their claim. Continue reading »
23rd May 2019
Sums paid in damages to negligence victims may appear large, but the reality is that no amount of money can ever compensate them for what they have lost. A judge acknowledged that sad fact in approving a multi-million-pound payout to a young man who was catastrophically injured in a road crash involving an ambulance. Continue reading »
15th May 2019
The Court of Appeal has rejected arguments put forward by the Royal Opera House (ROH) that a compensation award to a viola player who claimed that his hearing was damaged by exposure to the noise of brass instruments will curtail music making in the UK. Continue reading »
22nd February 2019
Statistics provided by Cancer Research UK indicate that on average 360,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK. However, an article that appeared in the Independent newspaper in December 2018, revealed the startling finding that 4 out of every 10 people diagnosed with cancer have been misdiagnosed at least once before the disease was identified. Continue reading »
19th February 2019
Everyone has a right to complain about their neighbours’ behaviour, but where such complaints are unjustified and take the form of harassment the consequences can be severe. In one such case, a flat dweller who made a fellow resident’s life a misery was ordered to pay him almost £100,000 in damages. Continue reading »
23rd November 2018
A radical proposal for cycling awareness has been unveiled by the government. The plans include a series of measures to improve safety for vulnerable road users, and to encourage and support cycling. The aim is to reduce the significant number of serious and fatal accidents suffered by cyclists. Continue reading »
24th July 2017
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced measures to tackle fraudulent sickness claims. Fraudulent claims of food poisoning by holidaymakers which are false or exaggerated claims, could result in British tourists paying higher package holiday prices. Continue reading »
27th February 2017
The last revision of the discount rate was undertaken on 25th June 2001, when it was set at 2.5%. From 20th March 2017, the rate drops from 2.5% to minus 0.75%. It is a change of 3.25 percentage points. Continue reading »
21st January 2016
Jonathan Austen-Jones acted on behalf of the applicant in this case who was the subject of sexual abuse at the hands of his step-father between the ages of about 5 and 7.
An initial application for compensation pursuant to the 1990 Scheme was made in 1992 and in June 1996 he was awarded £10,000.00 in respect of the abuse he had suffered. This award was clearly too low and it appears that no psychiatric evidence was before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Continue reading »
Jonathan Austen-Jones acted on behalf of the claimant in her claim for damages for clinical negligence. The claim arose from the tragic loss of her baby’s life as a consequence of the failure of the Defendant Trust, appreciating that baby B had a Group B streptococcus infection at his birth on the night of the 1st January 2009, resulting in baby B’s death at 00.55 hours on the 3rd January 2009. Continue reading »
