What are some of the main negligence claims in the NHS?
You will usually receive a high level of care when using the NHS, but accidents can happen and each year there are negligence claims made against the health service. Mistakes in healthcare can have serious, life-changing consequences, so it is easy to see why people will make a negligence claim. In 2021/2022 there were 12.6 thousand clinical negligence claims made against the NHS and there are a few that are more common than others. Read on to find out what these are.
Medication Errors
Medication errors are among the most common in the NHS and mistakes in this area can be very serious. This can include things like providing the wrong med-ication, prescribing the wrong dosage, not checking allergies or medications prescribed together that should not be.
Surgical Issues
Most surgeries that take place in the UK are highly successful, but mistakes can occur here and the consequences of these mistakes can be dear. Surgical neg-ligence can include things like the wrong operation being performed, the opera-tion being performed on the wrong body part, perforated organs and infection caused by poor hygiene during the procedure. Surgical mistakes will frequently lead to hospital negligence claims being made so that victims can seek com-pensation for the damages.
Misdiagnosis
People put a lot of trust in their GP and other healthcare professionals. While more often than not they will get it right, you will find that misdiagnosis can be an issue in the NHS. This includes both an incorrect diagnosis being made and conditions being missed completely. Both of these can be very serious issues as health issues that are left untreated can lead to bigger health issues.
Pregnancy Injuries
Most births take place without a problem, but sometimes there are issues that can arise. These problems can sometimes be preventable and this will then give grounds for a compensation claim. A few pregnancy issues that can arise include maternal diabetes, second or third-degree tears during labour and con-genital hip dysplasia after the birth.
These are a few of the most common negligence claims that are made against the NHS. The vast majority of patients will receive the correct care and a high level of care, but accidents and mistakes can happen. Mistakes here can be life-changing, so it is understandable why people seek negligence claims if they do not receive the required level of care and/or a mistake is made by their healthcare professional.