Medical review and possible negligence

[TwoScottieDogs]

My FIL died in Dec 2020 following the complications of an operation to remove an abdominal aortic aneurysm. We have now been informed by the hospital that there has been a review of 44 of the vascular clinical records (including my FIL's) and now there will be a further review taking place.

Can anyone shed any light on what will happen next? How long will the review take? The letter from the Health Board was not clear. Should we just wait for the outcome or should we seek legal representation? We would want to ensure that his case is reviewed independently.

Any advice would be appreciated.

You can certainly approach a solicitor dealing with medical negligence, although in this case its likely to be no win, no fee (CFA). They will probably advise you to wait on the review as you can't specify any negligence yet. A review can take any length of time depending on the numbers and the complexity. Once the review has concluded the solicitor can then review your fathers records independently. They may however be part of a legal action known as a class action where there are multiple claimants. Its all up in the air at the moment, I'm afraid, but it doesn't cost anything to talk to a solicitor.

Thank you for the reply. We spoke to the hospital helpline today and they said they expect to report their findings to individual families by June/July. I think we will await the review findings before doing anything else.

Depending what the hospital report says your house insurance legal covers some negligence cases.

Thanks, that's worth knowing. We'll find out.