AIBU to sue the NHS for medical negligence in which my Dad died.

[Fedupofdiets]

My beloved Dad died last year from multi-organ failure due to sepsis and DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) in an NHS hospital. We had take him to hospital with a deteriorating foot wound secondary to his diabetes and staff failed to spot the signs of sepsis and also failed to do a blood test and discharged him home despite a high blood sugar reading and known cardiac issues. He was readmitted 2 day later as he deteriorated and died from multi organ failure. I raised a complaint which then turned into an investigation from which I had the report in November. I have only recently been able to bring myself to read it - they admit that had had they treated him on the first admission there is a chance his death could have been avoided (the report is very long and very technical but I am a HCP so understand what happened).

I have contacted a Solicitor and given the info they have said that there is evidence that would support a claim of litigation against the trust. I am however in two minds whether to pursue it, on one hand I don't want to add to my pain (I will be the driving force behind the claim my siblings do not know although my Mother fully supports it). The other part of me wants my Fathers name on their lips - he was in his 60s and did not deserve to die alone without his family due to their negligence. My Mother is also working FT in a minimum wage care job (70 this year) and hell yes any money would be great for her.

So my question is WWYD leave it be or pursue a claim?

I'm currently going through this, my DH was a missed diagnosis/ not following procedures and died when if they d have followed the rules he could have survived with keyhole surgery 😭. My house insurance are handling it, it takes a long long time. I also have a 29 page report outlining the errors (and one of the procedures has been updated so it won't happen to anyone else) it's 3 years ago since he died, we expect the last expert report back in April. If you want to chat / info pls message

Do it, my mother, a type 1 died as the hospital forget to give her insulin. I've complained till I am blue in the face and have no confidence it won't happen again to someone else

You are 100% Right . They took my Dad from me on the 15th February 2024 . On the 15th Feb he was meant to come home but ended up in the Morgue. Early hours of 14th February he fell out of bed in his sleep and smashed his head on the floor which caused a severe bleed on his brain . If the bed gaurds would have been up this would never had happened . When l went to visit my dad on the 14th he was’nt in his bed so l asked a male nurse where he was , he told me he’s having a procedure because he pulled his IV out of his arm !! Lie he lied to me and my dad would not have done that . He was good in mind and body and very able , eventually he was retuned to the ward and l asked the nurse where he had been and why . The nurse explained that he had a CT scan because he fell out of bed in his sleep , l was furious that l had been lied to . On my next visit l was then informed that he has a bleed on the brain and nothing can be done and l had to tell my dad he was going to die . I drove home and at 3.30am on the 15th February he died . I am totally broken and to add insult to injury his money had be stole from his pocket which my brother put in there in case he need anything. So don’t you feel bad and don’t listen to these do gooders they haven’t lost we have and if it wasn’t for all the problems in this country and the government things would be like this . I intend to sue the arse of of the NHS because l if don’t l won’t rest also the money will go else where like immigration and so on .

When my dad died in hospital, I did consider making a complaint, as protocols regarding his blood transfusions were not followed and he was not even tested for the sepsis that ultimately killed him.

However, if the staff had not been stretched so thinly, they would have not missed out things. A successful complaint would not have changed the working practices of the hospital or the NHS. There was no institutional malpractice, just not enough staff and beds to implement the agreed practice, so there's no point complaining, as the individuals concerned were doing their best and the NHS can't pull new staff out of a hat.

I also considered that the reason my dad ended up in hospital is that he did have a condition that made his general health poor and would have killed him within the next few years. Everyone wants to live longer, but if you are not in good health generally, this cannot always happen. In the meantime, the NHS did provide him with medical care and medications that allowed him to live with his condition and live longer than if there was no NHS.

If I were to ask my dad, I am sure he would not dream of suing. I think he would have liked a few extra years, but overall, the NHS has served him and his family well, saving and extending lives for quite a few of us.

@LadyLolaRuben do you mind if I ask you a question? If someone goes ahead with a claim is that put on their medical records? Ie if I claim will everyone treating me for anything from hereon in know that I've taken legal action? I'm nervous about this... thank you!

@AnxiousAlicia no it won't go into your records.

But if the treating team have to write statements etc. for the legal team then they will know.

The morally right thing to do IS to pursue this claim; you will help to protect other people from experiencing the same issues otherwise it will be swept under the carpet

Do you think they will hold it against you? x

That’s just a bizarre take - deaths due to negligence should be investigated and the hospitals held to account

@Mammaraspberry do you mind if I message you? (If I can work out how haha) x

I would never sue the NHS on principle.
I would seek accountability if there was something negligent but I would not take a penny from the NHS

I'm a nurse, if there is clear evidence to show negligence I would sue them, it doesn't need to be for a huge payout. I would also want names of the individuals who were negligent and report them to the gmc and mnc if relevant.

Why not? The NHS kills people daily through negligence - why would you think people shouldn’t be compensated just because it happens to be funded through taxes? If this was a private company it would be an absolute scandal - the more people who sue it the better in my opinion, so that negligent deaths aren’t swept under the carpet

Hospitals are understaffed and under funded. Morale is at an all time low. Staff cannot provide safe care anymore. They just lurch from one crisis to the next trying to put out fires. Until it costs them more to sort out these claims than they save in underfunding and under resourcing the service, there is no will to do anything about it from those who have the power to change it.
I was a nurse too. I would sue.

Of course not, happy to help! x

i did a search tonight on google that i thought or believed the NHS killed my dad and came across this post:-(, . My Dad died a week ago and he was in a NHS hospital. i feel something is not right about his death even though he was 84. I'll admit he wasn't in Tip Top health but he was ok for 84, he had diabetas but it was managed fairly well. His issues started about 5 weeks ago, he was short on breath, he suffers from mild COPD and at first we thought it was a bad cold or at worse Covid, did the test, negative but he was getting worse so called an ambulance. after 4 weeks he was discharged, there were loads of different issues through out his stay but i would say one good thing was he was in his own room for a short while and that did help him. He came home on a friday night and seemed ok if a little weak. He was struggling with his breathing and on saturday morning it was decided he would have to return. He was put in a corridor for close to 10 hours, then a bay, he was then moved to a ward but put in the middle of the ward as there were no bays. he couldn't sleep, there were other old men in there shouting obsenitites and keeping him awake. we also learned three of them had pnuemonia...never in all my life have i heard of anything so ridiculous to put people in beds next to people with transmittable issues, he was exhausted. two days went by and then in the middle of the night a Doctor told him he would be going home and receiving end of life care... he was on his own!! My dad rapidly deteriorated, he had no strokes or heart attacks but was struggling to breath, they said he had sepsis and inserted a tube, a drain i think they call it. he was told on Monday he was too weak to go home but the dr was surpised how strong he was and remarked wish i knew your secret? Very strange words in my opinion. On Monday afternoon they told us all hope was lost and that he had muliple organ failure, he died on the Tuesday afternoon. reading your post rang alarm bells for me however i'm in no position to take anyone to court but will make a complaint. seems to me right now in the UK that if you are admitted to hospital in your 80s on the NHS, you won't recieve the care you ought to :-(

I'd go ahead op, even if it's just for your peace of mind

If its not about the money then will you be refusing any payout if won?

I only ask because negligence is likely a symptom of an underfunded system on its knees - so to extract more money seems counterproductive

OP - sorry this happened. I know it is some time ago, did you take it further with the trust?

Much love ❤️