£30,000 obtained for family of lady who died shortly after receiving inadequate hospital care

Posted 09/02/2016

Julie Crossley, a clinical negligence specialist at Ashtons Legal, has obtained £30,000 for the family of Mrs X, after her local hospital admitted that she had not received the standard of care to which she was entitled.

Mrs X was an elderly lady who was admitted to hospital suffering from general fatigue and loss of appetite while being the main carer for her husband who had vascular dementia.

Problems with her blood pressure were identified and Mrs X was recognised as being at high risk of falling. She was left on her own to use the bathroom, in spite of a specific assessment identifying that she shouldn’t do so, and fell, fracturing her hip. She had an operation to put in a dynamic hip screw but died within 48 hours of the operation following cardiac arrest. Her husband was unable to cope alone at home after her death and moved to a care home where he died around nine months later.

Julie Crossley comments: “Unfortunately we see too many instances like this where it is the overall care which is at fault rather than the medical treatment itself. While Mrs X was already elderly and having some difficulties, with better care she could and should have been able to return home and spend more time with her husband. Experts suggested that if she hadn’t suffered this fall, her life expectancy would have been a further four to five years.”