SERIOUS UNTOWARD INCIDENTS IN SOUTH WEST HOSPITALS

12 January 2011

More than 800 serious accidents and errors that occurred during a two year period have been identified by South West Hospitals.

During the period between January 2009 and October 2010, 804 "serious untoward incidents" (SUIs) occurred at hospitals in the South West, of which 109 were reported by Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

The reported SUIs include incidents where there were:-

  1. Surgical errors
  2. Treatment delays
  3.  Maternity service problems
  4.  Hospital infections 
  5. Confidentiality breaches

Simon Parford, Partner and Head of the Clinical Negligence Department said:-

"It is always of great concern to patients to learn that such serious incidents which could and should have been avoided have occurred.  However, the disclosure of this information does not surprise me as we are contacted by patients to investigate dozens of similar claims arising from treatment at hospitals throughout the South West every year.

The consequences of such incidents can be devastating both for the patient and their families and in appropriate cases, we are able to recover substantial damages to help compensate for what has happened and to provide for their future needs."

If you, or you know someone who has been injured as a result of a medical mistake and may have a medical negligence claim, please contact us now for a free confidential discussion.