Case studies

We recently settled a substantial claim for damages against a GP for a client who suffered a delay in the management of an ear infection resulting in permanent visual damage, which should have been avoided if she had been properly assessed.

We successfully settled a claim for a woman from Redhill in Surrey against her GP for failing to act properly on a lump which she feared might be cancer.

Our medical negligence solicitors have acted in a number of cases involving prescribing errors, whether arising from the prescription of inappropriate drugs or the wrong dose.

We acted for the estate of an elderly gentleman who suffered severe scalding injuries after falling whilst left unattended in the bathroom at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, in January 2011.

Our medical negligence solicitors are presently pursuing a claim for a client who went to her GP demonstrating clear neurological symptoms, including loss of balance, lack of co-ordination, persistent vomiting and difficulty speaking.

Our client had known Atypical Mole Syndrome (AMS) phenotype and was recognised as being prone to skin cancer. She attended her specialist with a basal cell carcinoma on her nose that was wrongly diagnosed as actinic keratosis and was discharged.

A diagnosis of Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) can be confirmed only with an MRI scan and the condition needs urgent treatment to avoid permanent and severe damage. Our 30-year old client had suspected CES and was admitted to hospital for an MRI scan, but this was delayed by 10 hours.

We acted for a client who suffered unilateral deterioration of her vision in the early 1990s. She reported this to her optometrist, whom she attended regularly between 1997 and 2004 while her vision continued to deteriorate.

Our client's father and grandfather had both suffered prostate cancer. As he was concerned at his own risk of the disease, he asked his GP to arrange tests.

Our client was under the care of his local hospital for an unrelated condition when he noticed a lesion developing in his ear. He complained to his treating doctors who agreed that he needed referral to the dermatology department.

Our client attended her local A&E with signs of Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES). These were noted by the A&E doctor and she was correctly referred to the orthopaedic team. There was a disagreement about the evidence for CES and a senior orthopaedic doctor was therefore involved.

We have acted in a number of cases where administrative errors and oversights have resulted in delays in diagnosing and treating patients, some with tragic consequences. In one case, a client attended his GP with a suspected malignant melanoma. His test results were subsequently misfiled.