28-year-old Miss H dies as a result of a failure to provide appropriate treatment
What Happened To Our Client
Miss H was admitted to hospital with sickness and diarrhoea after her whole family contracted a flu-like illness.
Miss H suffered from Maple Syrup Urine Disease (a rare but serious inherited metabolic condition which meant her body could not process certain types of amino acids). Despite knowing this, healthcare professionals did not test Miss H’s amino acid levels on the day she was admitted. The failure to carry out the appropriate tests meant that Miss H did not receive essential amino acid supplements.
Whilst in hospital, Miss H also contracted Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (“SSS”) (an illness where the skin become blistered and has the appearance of being scalded). Miss H was treated for this but needed to remain in hospital for 19 days because she was so unwell.
Miss H (and her family) were surprised when she was discharged because she was still seriously unwell. Within a week Miss H was re-admitted back to hospital.
During the second admission Miss H was prescribed an antibiotic – Flucloxacillin – despite being allergic to it. 12 days after re-admission Miss H sadly passed away from septicaemia (a serious bloodstream infection), resulting in Pneumonia, sepsis and her existing Maple Syrup Urine Disease.
Contact Us Today
Losing a loved one is one of the most emotionally painful experiences anyone can go through – even more so when that loss is sudden, unexpected or where it is unclear why they passed away.
Where there is an Inquest, we can provide legal representation for this.
We will guide you through the process and help you to obtain the answers that you need about the cause of death and the events leading up to the death of your loved one. If the death was avoidable, then we can then represent you at the Inquest and in respect of a claim for compensation on a no-win-no-fee basis
Our investigation
As part of our investigations, we were able to establish that there was a 3-day delay in the replacement of natural proteins, which consequently led to Miss H’s feed being delayed by 12 hours. Because of this her body became gradually weaker and she became more unwell so that her body was unable to cope with the resulting Pneumonia and sepsis that she went on to develop.
How can MDS Medical Law help?
While no amount of compensation will ever be enough for the loss of your loved one and your loved one’s suffering, if your loss is as a result of healthcare negligence, we can help you through the legal process for investigating your concerns against a healthcare professional and your negligence claim if there is one.
We will do this by providing legal representation on a no-win-no-fee basis to investigate what happened, help you get some answers, help seek justice, and help to secure compensation which you/ the deceased’s dependents may be entitled to.
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The outcome for our client
The Trust accepted that they should have tested Miss H’s amino acid levels on the day of her 1st admission and also accepted that the worsening Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome would have contributed to unnecessary pain and suffering.
We recovered a significant sum on behalf of Miss H’s family who also wanted to ensure that lessons were learned to protect young people like her in the future.
Disclaimer
Whilst our case studies are designed to give an indication of the outcomes that can be achieved in these circumstances, the compensation awarded in individual cases can vary significantly due to a range of factors, including the severity of injury, effects on life expectancy and financial impact, for example. For more information, contact us today.
Our Approach
We will support you, guide you and be your voice throughout.
If you are concerned about the medical treatment that you or a loved one has received, please contact us and one of our specialist team will assist you.
