When we seek medical treatment, we trust doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals to provide a reasonable standard of care. Unfortunately, mistakes can happen. When a patient suffers injury, illness, or worsening health due to substandard treatment in a hospital, they may be entitled to pursue a hospital negligence claim.
What is hospital negligence?
Hospital negligence occurs when a healthcare professional within a hospital fails to provide an acceptable standard of care, resulting in injury or harm to a patient.
Not every medical complication or unsuccessful treatment outcome is considered to be negligence. To make a hospital negligence claim, it must be shown that:
- A duty of care existed between the healthcare provider and the patient.
- The healthcare provider breached the standard of care expected of them.
- The breach directly caused injury, illness, or additional suffering.
- The patient suffered damages as a result.
Common types of hospital negligence
Hospital negligence can arise in many different circumstances, including:
Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
A failure to correctly diagnose a condition, or delays in diagnosing a serious illness, can prevent patients from receiving timely treatment. This may in turn lead to avoidable complications.
Examples include:
- Delay in diagnosing, or failure to diagnose cancer
- Delayed diagnosis of stroke
- Missed fractures or injuries
- Failure to identify serious infections.
Surgical errors
Mistakes made during surgery can have serious and life-changing consequences.
Examples include:
- Wrong-site surgery
- Damage to organs or nerves
- Retained surgical instruments
- Incorrect surgical procedures carried out.
Medication errors
Patients may suffer harm if they receive the wrong medication, incorrect dosage, or medication that does not interact safely with their existing treatments.
Examples include:
- Prescribing the wrong medication
- Administering excessive doses
- Failure to check allergies
- Incorrect administration.
Birth injuries and maternity hospital negligence
Negligence during pregnancy, labour, or delivery can result in serious injuries to mother, baby, or both.
Examples include:
- Failure to monitor foetal distress
- Delayed emergency caesarean section
- Birth trauma
- Failure to identify pregnancy complications.
Failure to treat or monitor patients
Hospitals have a responsibility to monitor patients appropriately and respond to changes in their condition.
Examples include:
- Delayed treatment of serious symptoms
- Inadequate post-operative care
- Failure to recognise medical emergencies
Hospital-acquired infections
Hospitals must maintain proper hygiene and infection control procedures to protect patients from avoidable infections.
Examples include:
- MRSA infections
- Surgical site infections
- Sepsis resulting from poor infection control
- Cross-contamination between patients that could have been prevented.
If you believe you or a family member has been injured because of hospital negligence, contact our team for a confidential discussion on whether a hospital negligence claim is possible.