Geldards secures damages in hospital fall claim

Rachel Kirby, Senior Associate in our Medical Negligence team, secured damages on behalf of our client in a claim against Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

Our client was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer which mostly affects children and young adults) and as a result she underwent an above-knee amputation of her left leg. She also required PICC line for intravenous treatment.

In October 2019 our client’s temperature spiked and she attended Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil where she was admitted as a patient.

Our client had been shown how to transfer safely from her bed and had been doing so without incident for many months. During her admission, our client needed to use the toilet and a nurse insisted on standing behind the commode whilst our client transferred. As our client held on to the commode during transfer, it moved away from her, and she fell face down onto the floor. It transpired that the brake had not been applied to the commode by the nurse.

As a result of the fall, our client suffered damage to her front teeth which required two separate root canal treatments, together with composite core build ups. Her PICC line was also compromised and she required a procedure to have it reinserted. The fall also hindered her progress with unassisted walking and her scheduled chemotherapy was delayed.

We were instructed by our client and after conducting reasonable investigations we promptly served a Letter of Claim against Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (the Defendant). Photographs of the injuries were also collated and disclosed to the Defendant.

Our allegations against the Defendant included a failure to carry out and document an appropriate risk assessment or care plan in relation to falls. In addition, we claimed that the Defendant had failed to adequately complete documentation relating to intervention/access of the PICC line and failed to ensure there was an adequate care plan in place for the PICC line.

The Defendant responded with an offer of £15,000. This offer was rejected by our client which resulted in the Defendant making a further offer of £20,000 which was accepted.

Geldards medical negligence team is skilled in all areas of medical negligence and has secured multi-million-pound settlements for many victims of medical negligence cases or clinical error. This secures and provides much-needed financial security for vital care and equipment costs. Our results, across many high-profile and cutting-edge cases, demonstrate our robust experience and strong reputation.

If you have concerns about medical treatment that you or a loved one has received, please call us for a free consultation on 02920 391773 or contact Linda Williams by email at linda.williams@geldards.com.