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    NHS hospital apologises after death of woman found under coat in A&E department

    12:21, 1/8/2024

    Home » News & Knowledge » NHS hospital apologises after death of woman found under coat in A&E department

    An NHS hospital has apologised following the death of a woman who died after being found slumped under a coat in an overcrowded A&E department.

     

    According to reports, two Inga Rublite, 39 was discovered slumped on the floor of the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham on 20 January and died from a brain aneurysm two days later.

     

    Death of woman

     

    An inquest into her death heard that “opportunities were missed” to diagnose the 39-year-old’s health condition.

    She is said to have fallen unconscious while waiting for more than seven hours to be seen by a doctor in the accident and emergency unit.

    The woman was reportedly found by staff when her name was called to see a doctor and she didn’t respond.

    Nottingham Coroner’s Court heard that on 19 January, Ms. Rublite attended the emergency department, on the advice of the 111 service, after saying she was suffering from a severe headache, neck pain, nausea and blurred vision.

    After she was triaged, staff failed to refer her for a CT [computed tomography] scan and later, following a second assessment when Ms Rublite reported severe pain, there was no escalation in her care.

    These were considered two “missed opportunities” by the coroner, Elizabeth Didcock.

    The inquest was told that on the night Ms Rublite attended hospital, the emergency department was overcrowded and understaffed.

    Ms. Didcock added she was “struck by a lack of repeated calling” if a person did not respond in the emergency department, adding she would have expected further calls 10 to 15 minutes after each missed callout.

    Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust said it was “truly sorry that [it] did not meet the standards [it] strives to deliver”, and that it had introduced changes in its emergency department.

    NUH added a new screen to assist with calling patients forward was among the changes made.

    Ms. Briede told the BBC she “could not accept” how her sister was missed and felt the changes, while “thoughtful”, were “not enough”.

     

    She added that during the inquest, it was suggested her sister could have been mistaken for a “homeless person”.

    “It wasn’t just one on that day that it [A&E] was overcrowded. As I understand, the system had been working like that for a long time, Inga was just unlucky.

    “I believe the hospital doesn’t really have the answer about what happened that night,” she said.

     

    Medical Negligence in A&E departments – Making a claim

     

    What is A&E negligence?

    On average 68,000 adults and children attend A&E on a daily basis. Accident and Emergency Departments are the busiest parts of the hospital.

    An array of injuries are seen in A&E Departments from cuts, bruises, and fractures, to deadly infections and near-fatal injuries. It is not a simple area of clinical negligence due to the many different possible injuries that a patient may present with.

    Unfortunately, it is often the case that injuries go undetected or else are misdiagnosed within the A&E department. On attendance at A&E, the treating medical professional has a duty to carry out the appropriate physical examination, diagnose any injury and treat accordingly.

    They may also need to refer you to a specialist department so that you can receive further treatment.

    A&E negligence therefore commonly occurs as a result of one or more of the following:

    • Incorrect medication prescribed
    • Incorrect treatment provided
    • A delay in appropriate treatment
    • Inadequate patient examination or referral
    • Misinterpretation of radiology or examination results
    • Failure to admit patients for further treatment
    • Failure to recognise serious symptoms or missing high-risk conditions

    This can result in the injury becoming more difficult to treat, it may require more invasive treatment going forward, it may cause increased pain and suffering or it may cause you to develop other connected health problems.

     

    What can I claim for A&E negligence?

    If you have suffered due to A&E’s negligence, then you may be able to claim for the following:

    • Avoidable pain and Suffering
    • Any avoidable loss of earnings as a result
    • Further surgery or treatment that may be required which would have been avoidable and the costs of the same
    • Psychiatric harm

     

    How do I make a claim?

    If you feel that an A&E practitioner has misdiagnosed, failed to refer, not fully investigated or did not provide you with the correct treatment then you could be entitled to compensation. The team at Oakwood Solicitors will be able to give you free advice on the prospect of your case and whether you would be eligible to make a claim.

     

    Who can bring a claim?

    The victim of the negligence can bring about a claim in their own right. However, it may also be the case that the victim has passed away as a result of the negligence or has suffered so severely that they are unable to bring about a claim as they no longer have the capacity.

    In such circumstances, a claim can be brought about on their behalf either by an appropriate person or litigation friend if the victim is still with us or by the executor of the estate of the surviving dependant if the victim has passed.

    Our specialist team will be able to discuss whether you have a right to bring about a claim so if you or a loved one has been affected do not hesitate to contact us.

     

    How long do I have to make a claim?

    Claims of this nature are subject to a three-year limitation period. This means that claims have to be commenced within the Courts within three years of rather the date the negligent act occurred or the date you became aware that negligence had occurred.

    In cases involving deceased victims, this limitation period commences from the date of death and in cases involving minors, the limitation period starts when they reach their 18th birthday.

    The law surrounding limitation periods is complex. Our specialist team will be able to advise further. Please do not delay, contact our specialist team as soon as possible.

     

    How much is my claim worth?

    It is often difficult to value Negligence claims at their outset, given the complexities involved however we will pursue two forms of compensation for you:

    General damages – An award of money for the pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.

    Special damages – An award for all of your out-of-pocket expenses such as travel expenses, medication costs, loss of earnings, and treatment costs both past and future.

    This list is not exhaustive and is very case-specific. Our specialist team will be able to advise further.

     

    Who should I use Oakwood Solicitors Ltd?

    We have a dedicated team of solicitors and paralegals who have many years of experience running cases of this nature. They are highly trained to deal with all aspects of clinical and medical negligence.

    Oakwood Solicitors Ltd wishes to ensure that clients are not overwhelmed by legal jargon or medical terms that they don’t understand and aims to allow the claims procedure to be as transparent as possible.

     

    Further reading

    A&E department claims – Oakwood Solicitors

     

    WHAT TO DO NEXT

    Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.

    Meet the author

    Carol Cook joined Oakwood Solicitors in May 2017 to lead the Medical Negligence Department. Carol handles a wide range of clinical, cosmetic and dental negligence claims and has years of experi…

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