James Paget NHS Trust admits failure to diagnose

Posted 10/12/2008

The James Paget University Foundation Hospitals NHS has admitted that if staff had investigated and treated a Lowestoft man’s spinal problems in a timely way, he would not be faced with spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Thomas Jacobs was an active man in his 70s who enjoyed maintaining his allotment as well as his garden, and also undertook gardening for other people. In 2005 he started to suffer from back pain, which resulted in several visits to the James Paget Hospital. If the underlying cause of his pain had been diagnosed and treated on the third visit, he would probably have suffered some stiffness and pain following spinal surgery but would not have been left paraplegic.

Mr Jacobs is being represented by Tom Cook, a clinical negligence specialist solicitor at East Anglian solicitors Ashtons Legal, who explains:

“As a result of the failure to diagnose his osteomyelitis at an early stage, Mr Thomas has gone from being independent to relying on others to care for him. He has had to move from his long-time family home to a small bungalow which is being adapted for his needs. He has been left with considerable pain and the need for constant medication. We are now trying to agree a financial settlement which will ensure that he is able to live his life in as satisfactory a manner as possible given his paraplegia.”