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Legal matters

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NHS complaints

17 replies

Rochumbrella · 16/08/2022 01:04

Has anyone had a positive outcome from complaining about NHS services and treatment recieved?

OP posts:
Blue4YOU · 16/08/2022 01:26

No!! I’ve tried. Going to court (not medical negligence) because I just can’t let them get away with it.
Have you complained yet? I do hope you are ok

InquiringMinds · 16/08/2022 01:58

No, seeking legislation asap as PALS just protected their employee! We were told to speak to the GMC but it’s so exhausting. It’s ridiculous being told any complaint will be handled fairly by PALS. Never! Hoping you are okay OP?

bloodywhitecat · 16/08/2022 02:20

No, I need to find out how and where to start before I decide what to do. I hope you are OK.

Rochumbrella · 16/08/2022 02:38

Blue4YOU · 16/08/2022 01:26

No!! I’ve tried. Going to court (not medical negligence) because I just can’t let them get away with it.
Have you complained yet? I do hope you are ok

I havent complained yet. I'm worried that they will invalidate my experience. I had a complicated pregancy. I developed a rare pregnancy condition called HG. I kept asking for support the midwifes said they wouldn't offer me any support until 16 weeks and said "if you decide to terminate let us know so we can offer your 12week scan to someone else"

I was being treated in the hospital for severe dehydration, I was told that there was one last medication they could offer me to get the HG symptoms under control.... it didn't work. My pregnancy ended via termination. The pregnancy was very much wanted and planned but it made me so ill and the NHS was not willing to help me. After I started to get better I researched about the illness I had and i found that they could have offered me steroids.

I took the consultants word as gospel as I trusted they were providing me with the right medical advice. Knowing now more could have been done I feel that both mine and my babies life could have been saved had they provided me with the right treatment. And i feel they should be held accountable for their actions and incorrect advice regarding treatment. What do you think? X

OP posts:
Rochumbrella · 16/08/2022 02:42

Ofcourse, nothing they can do can in any way compensate for the loss I have suffered but I'm worried if I don't speak out the same will happen to other women going through similar situations.

OP posts:
Rochumbrella · 16/08/2022 02:48

I was also overdosed on General anaesthetic as they didn't bother to weigh me. From the point the abortion was booked to the day it took place was a three week wait during this time I had lost an additional 2 stone. It was so traumatic. They were negligent on so many levels. I'm just scared that they will do whatever they can to cover it up.

OP posts:
SpudsIluv · 16/08/2022 02:55

You can't be overdosed on anaesthetic, it's very unlikely you lost 2 stone in 3 weeks and extremely unlikely someone said let us know if you decide to terminate so we can give your appointment to someone else, I've worked in the NHS for 20 years.

SpudsIluv · 16/08/2022 02:56

Had you been overdosed on anaesthetic the outcome would be death.

Rochumbrella · 16/08/2022 03:00

SpudsIluv · 16/08/2022 02:55

You can't be overdosed on anaesthetic, it's very unlikely you lost 2 stone in 3 weeks and extremely unlikely someone said let us know if you decide to terminate so we can give your appointment to someone else, I've worked in the NHS for 20 years.

Must have made the entire story up in my head 😊

OP posts:
Carpetfluffy · 16/08/2022 03:26

@Rochumbrella no you would have died if you'd overdosed on GA.

I'm sorry for your loss though

InquiringMinds · 16/08/2022 03:27

Rochumbrella · 16/08/2022 03:00

Must have made the entire story up in my head 😊

OP just like PALS told me everything I had to endure during what was supposed to be a routine appointment and it was all in my head. What they don’t know is that a private Doctor took photos of what happened to me on the day of my NHS hospital appointment. We will not stop until this employee is suspended or arrested due to what he did. As for your experience, my heart breaks as I cannot even imagine how you must feel. Your wanting to stop this happening to other women, is the way to go. I have lost 2 stone plus in three weeks after my hip replacement surgery, no idea why, it just fell off, I don’t until why you are being told it’s unlikely. In short, it doesn’t matter NHS or private, anyone not performing their job properly, needs investigating, especially in such a serious case as yours.

ComtesseDeSpair · 16/08/2022 10:50

It depends what you mean by “a positive outcome.” For some people that might mean an apology because they feel they were spoken to insensitively (if, as you claim, you were told to let the hospital know if you had a termination because they could offer your appointment to somebody else) and a commitment to include training on person-centred working for all staff including administrators. For others, it might mean loadsa dosh. When making a complaint it always helps to first be clear with yourself about what exactly you’re complaining about, what a good outcome would be, how that outcome could be demonstrated – and to be realistic about what’s likely.

If you’re claiming negligence or incorrect treatment then essentially you would need to demonstrate that the treatments you’ve “researched” (do you mean you’ve read some things on the internet or that you’ve undertaken a review of peer-reviewed medical studies? There’s a significant difference) are standard procedures available on the NHS, that it would have been appropriate in your particular medical situation for you to have been offered them, and that had you been treated by another doctor they would have offered you those treatments so that the doctors who did treat you were remiss in their actions.

Don’t muddy the complaint with things like being overdosed on GA unless you have the medical evidence of this – as others have said, being overdosed on GA would result in severe illness or death – did either of these things happen? How do you know you were overdosed? If you can’t explain and prove, you won’t get the response you’re hoping for, and you won’t feel as though you’ve received a positive outcome.

Have you sought a debrief of your treatment through PALS? Understanding why the decisions which were made, were made, is often the first step to resolution.

notapizzaeater · 16/08/2022 10:58

Sorry for your experience 😭

Have you had a debrief from PALS ?

PinotPony · 17/08/2022 16:07

Medical professionals have a duty of candour so, if you make a complaint via PALS or directly to the chief executive of the Trust, they will investigate and respond. If there has been any failing or lessons learned, you will be informed.

However, there's a big difference between a patient feeling dissatisfied with the care or treatment provided and negligence. The legal test for negligence is two-fold:

  1. Breach of duty - Was the standard of care below that of a reasonably competent clinician? The test is not whether they provided the highest standard of care but whether they provided a reasonable standard. If there is a body of medical opinion in the same field who would consider that treatment was reasonable then the claim will fail.
  2. Causation - did the breach of duty cause or materially contribute to a worse outcome?

You might want to request a copy of your medical records incl your drug charts to see exactly what meds you were given. If you think prednisolone or similar should have been prescribed, ask that question in your complaint.

AuntieMarys · 17/08/2022 16:09

A friend did. Got compensation after negligence

Pussycat22 · 30/01/2024 10:20

God almighty!!!

vivainsomnia · 30/01/2024 12:05

Anything to do with the poor way they spoken to you, delays, not taking into account of the weight loss (which sounds had no adverse effect), you'll get at worse denial, at best an apology. Nothing else.

However, in relation to them not giving all the treatment available AND appropriate in your case, they should investigate more thoroughly. Ultimately, once again, you'll likely to get an apology if your claim is correct. Ultimately, you might get a reasonable explanation as to why it wasn't considered and that might help with you coming to term with you decision.

It must be so hard looking back but remember that you came to it because you genuinely had no other alternative available that you knew off. You did all you could.

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