Miss Halliday took her own life following failures at NHS Trust
Introduction
MDS Medical law represented the family of a 19-year-old woman, Miss VH, who tragically took her own life after going missing 10 times. She was a high suicide risk and had been sectioned numerous times. She had already tried to take her life a number of times before she finally succeeded.
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.
What Happened?
Our investigations which were complex established that:
- When Miss VH, who had been under the mental health system moved from the Child Mental Health Services to the Adult Service, she fell through the net.
- Having been sectioned and diagnosed with emotional unstable personality disorder there were failures to keep her diagnosis under review and amend her diagnosis which became more serious. Had this been done, it would been recognised that she presented as a high suicide risk and different measures may have prevented her from taking her own life.
- She was discharged into the community when she as at high risk of taking her own life.
MDS Medical Law represented the family at the 4-day Inquest at which the Coroner found numerous failings on the part of the NHS Trust and issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Notice. The Coroner concluded that there were multiple missed opportunities to save Miss VH’s life – including poor diagnosis, a lack of local inpatient beds and a lack of adequate community psychiatric services.
The Coroner’s findings and Notice has resulted in changes being made by the NHS Trust, including improvements in co-ordination of mental health care and putting in place a new specialist psychiatric service for women.
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.
.webp)
The Legal Claim for Negligence
After the Inquest, MDS Medical represented the family in their claim for compensation.
The Trust initially refused to accept that any different course of action would have made a difference, and that the outcome would have been the same. They put the family to proof that any preventative measures would have made a difference.
MDS Medical law resisted the request from the NHSR ( NHS Resolution) forcing the family to to prove the loss. MDS medical law secured compensation for the family.
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.
