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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...al-bed-buzzing-flies-stank-rotting-flesh.html

 

Re: From Daily Mail

This type of poor medical management, if true as reported, would result in the USA, nearly certainly, in a multimillion lawsuit for the relatives of the deceased man.

My question to those of you who practice in the NHS, what type of compensation will this man's relatives, if any, receive due to what appears, in this news report, to be the improper medical management of this man? For those British podiatrists who are following along, I am genuinely curious as to how this type of incident is handled in the UK in regards to medical malpractice, civil lawsuits, wrongful death suits, etc. In other words, what type of legal recourse in the UK does this man's family have if something like this truly did happen as reported?

 

Re: From Daily Mail

I am not sure about the NHS, but in my previous position at a public hospital I was "disciplined" for treating a patient in the acute ward- by the repeated request of the Doctor and nursing staff - who was in urgent need of care. Since the Podiatry Manager had decided that patients would only be treated, on discharge, in the Podiatry clinic itself.
Internal politics are messy things.
I can only hope that a lesson is learned from the unfortunate event (if it did indeed occur and is not merely media hysteria) and other patients and their family are saved unnecessary suffering and heartache.
My condolences to Mr Shaffer's family.
..... and no I still do not regret my decision :)

 

Re: From Daily Mail

Kevin,
The Daily Mail is prone to exaggerate, but that aside, compensation claims for clinical negligence/malpractice do happen frequently in the UK.
Loss of foot in those circumstances would probably work out at around £35,000.00, with perhaps a little more for pain/suffering.
The family may receive no recompense for the early death if the hospital can prove that they acted within accepted current medical guidelines.
Had the patient lived the compensation could have been much higher, because the after-effects (altered gait, continuing pain, restriction on work and leisure activities etc) are all taken into account.

I see a few cases (into double figures) like this each year in my expert witness Practice. Sometimes the NHS Podiatry Team is at fault (see post 3 above), and sometimes they are not, and in some cases they are not even involved in the care of the patient.

I gave expert witness testimony on a case two years ago where a badly-maintained wall had fallen on a woman's leg as she walked by. She could still walk, but her leg and foot were disfigured and her normal gait was badly affected. The case was won, the damages amounted to a little over £500,000.00.

David

 

Very tragic story but the story is in the Daily Mail so there will be much more to this story than what appears in the headline and text.

For instance he had flies buzzing around his feet? He died in the winter (Feb 2012)and I don't ever remember seeing flies in a British winter and certainly not swarms of them. But yes there will be an investigation and likely compensation if negligence is found