Here's where you can find out what news stories we've been mentioned in, what sort of things we've been talking about, what's been on our minds, what we've been supporting. In short, anything that warrants a Fletchers mention! Dip in.
A 37 year old woman has received £60,000 from the NHS after they failed to appropriately analyse her cervical smear results. Emmeline Smith underwent routine cervical screening in 2010…
A 77 year old woman has been compensated by four GP Defendants following a repeat prescription course of Nurofen Meltlets 200mg, without considering her history of peptic ulcer disease which…
A 74 year old man suffered heel ulcers which required surgery following a hospital stay. In November 2015, the Claimant was admitted to New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, due to acute…
A father of two has turned his life around after severely injuring his arm with a chainsaw while working as a tree surgeon. Karl Spafford suffered life changing injuries in…
Despite a relatively mild winter and a record low of flu diagnosis, medical experts believe the coming months could present the National Health Service with the worst winter on record.…
Written by Eliza Esiategiwa, Assistant Litigation Executive at Fletchers Solicitors. The legal aid funded civil law sector has been plagued by funding cuts since the mid-2000s. Between 2006 and 2009, legal aid was…
Written by Ciaran Harper, Senior Litigation Executive in the Medical Negligence Department at Fletchers Solicitors A recent inquest concluded that Stephen Pettitt of Newcastle died after an operation in…
Written by Sion Wynne, senior solicitor in the medical negligence department at Fletchers Solicitors NHS Resolution recently published a report about research into the motivation of patients making legal claims…
A 41 year old woman experienced days of dizziness and feeling unwell after being given the wrong medication by the chemist. The woman was diagnosed with epilepsy 12 years…
Caroline Morris and Aimee Moorcroft, members of Fletchers Serious Injury Team, recently acted for a 46 year old man who was injured in an accident at work. The injuries…
Written by Sadiya Zaib, Assistant Litigation Executive, in the medical negligence department at Fletchers: The NHS is approaching a crisis point like never before. Health and social care is suffering…
A Medical Negligence Solicitor is urging anyone with suspected stroke symptoms to seek immediate medical attention. Speaking in response of the Stroke Association’s comments that the number of young people…
By Rachel Bedford, Assistant Litigation Executive in the Medical Negligence department It has been reported that two unborn babies had their spines repaired whilst in the womb during the summer…
A health care professional at Blackpool Hospital has been arrested over the alleged administration of poison or a noxious substance to patients. Lancashire Police have reported that concerns were raised…
Fletchers Solicitors welcome the news that a man from East Sussex is joining the campaign for drivers to be taught better safety techniques regarding opening car doors. Fletchers have been…
More than 40,000 women have not received information on cervical cancer screening after Capita failed to send out letters. Between January and June this year, 43,200 women were supposed to…
A 26 year old man suffered a delay in diagnosis of his osteomyelitis over a period of four years before eventually being correctly diagnosed. He then underwent extensive surgery to…
Fletchers Solicitors recently represented a seriously injured customer at a contested Trial in the High Court. Liability had been disputed by the Defendant’s representatives from the start of the case.…
A 40-year-old woman has been awarded £7,900 by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust after a surgical drain was stitched to her abdominal wall in error. In January 2017, the claimant underwent…
By Liam Bestwick, Litigation Executive in the Medical Negligence department It has recently been reported that the NHS is expecting severe difficulties and pressures this coming winter. They are expecting…
Fletchers Solicitors has welcomed the news that changes are to be made to the Highway Code to cut down on the number of injured cyclists. The Government has announced a…
By Kim Jackson, Trainee Solicitor at Fletchers By 2025, 2.8 million people over the age of 65 will require nursing and social care. As a result, the Government will need…
By Andy Tindall, Litigation Executive in the Medical Negligence team After the publication of AVMA’s report on the inspection and regulation of the duty of candour earlier this month, the…
By Chloe Westwell, trainee solicitor No two days are ever the same at Fletchers Solicitors. Currently, I am working in the Litigation Team in the Clinical Negligence Department which is…
The Chief Operating Officer of Fletchers Solicitors has become the first ever person to win a national legal award for Excellence in Practice Management. Alexandra Hatchman was crowned the winner…
By Saima Mazhar, Senior Solicitor in the Medical Negligence Department at Fletchers The charity organisation, Breast Cancer Care recently reported that around 72%, almost three quarters of NHS Trusts across…
A 45 year old woman has been awarded £18,000 by a health board in North Wales after her bladder was damaged during a hysterectomy. The woman, referred to as Mrs…
Written by Jennifer Hales, solicitor in the medical negligence department at Fletchers Michael Darnley v Croydon Health Services NHS Trust: Organisations can now be held liable for the actions of…
It has been reported that the NHS paid out £100 million to disabled children left brain damaged at birth in the space of just 24 hours. On Monday and Tuesday…
A 40 year old woman has received a six-figure pay out from the Royal Blackburn Hospital following a failed hernia repair. The woman, Miss EL, received £400,000 for her…
By Hannah Ashcroft, Solicitor in the Medical Negligence team I, along with the nation, have been thoroughly gripped by the best-selling book “This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of…
Guidance released by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says that women who need treatment for urinary incontinence should only be offered mesh surgery as a last…
The recent report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence (APPG) which was published on 2 October 2018 served to highlight what many patients on long term…
Researchers in America have had a breakthrough in the treatment of spinal cord injuries, enabling patients to start taking steps again. A revolutionary implant in the lower backs of five…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in the UK, with 1 in 8 women being diagnosed in their lifetime. Breast…
GPonline has reported that the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which has already taken control of 10 GP practices through its ‘vertical integration’ programme, has commenced working towards taking over…
A recent article in the Law Gazette highlights the increasing frustrations of GPs now faced with complying with the GDPR, which allows solicitors to request patient records free of charge.…
By Trevor Ward, senior solicitor in our medical negligence serious injury team Researchers believe that babies admitted to a neonatal unit after birth could benefit from a new tool that…
September 13th is World Sepsis Day – a disease that affects around 30 million people worldwide. To mark the day and raise awareness, Fletchers Solicitor, Jennifer Argent, has…
At Fletchers Solicitors we put people at the heart of everything we do and believe it is important to support a range of charities. To mark International Day of Charity…
Written by Natasha Perkins, Solicitor at Fletchers. It has been reported in the news over the last couple of months, more recently over the last fortnight, that there…
For Claimants pursuing actions in relation to the delayed or missed diagnosis of cancer, it can be a significant hurdle to prove that with earlier diagnosis their cancer would have…
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust maternity unit deaths under further scrutiny The maternity units run by Shrewbsury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have come under increased scrutiny as dozens…
The Supreme Court have now clarified the law governing the withdrawal of treatment from patients in permanent vegetative state.
The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which is responsible for regulating health devices and medicines in the US has issued a statement expressing concerns over the unregulated use of “vaginal rejuvenation” devices.
An independent review had lead to the decision for the use of vaginal mesh implants to the pause.
Southmead Hospital in Bristol has widened its review into patients who have previously undergone controversial bowel prolapse surgeries known as mesh rectopexy amid concerns that poor outcomes are not confined solely to procedures performed by surgeon Antony Dixon.
Breath test could save lives by detecting cancers of the stomach and oesophagus earlier A study carried out by researchers from Imperial College London and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden…
In its 70th year we are all extremely proud of the service the NHS provides us through a team of hard working and dedicated staff. It is no secret however, that financially the NHS is under huge strain leading to numerous cuts and long waiting times.
It has been reported recently that Lord Darzi, whose report into the future of the NHS is to be published later this month, is calling for a radical shakeup of the technology within the NHS.
Today the Health Secretary, Mr Jeremy Hunt, has spoken out on BBC Radio 4 in relation to the hundreds of deaths at Gosport War Memorial Hospital.
It’s estimated over 160,000 people die of cancer each year in the UK and someone is diagnosed every two minutes. Cancer
This week, a dishonest medical negligence claimant who dramatically inflated the extent of his injuries has been jailed for three months.
The government has today published it’s rapid review into the offence of gross negligence manslaughter and it’s applicability to healthcare professionals.
Professor Peter Sasieni is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Cancer Prevention at Queen Mary University of London has written an open letter to the Lancet expressing concerns that the error with regards to breast cancer screening patients age 60-70 may have extended as far back as 2004/5 rather than just 2009.
Europe’s data protection rules are have undergone sweeping changes. To keep up with the huge amount of digital data being created, rules have been re-written and are now enforced.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force tomorrow, on 25th May 2018.
Judgement in the group action against Depuy International Ltd in respect of their Metal-on-metal hip prosthesis, Pinnacle Ultamet® was handed down yesterday in the high court.
Essex GP practice taken over by Virgin Care is placed in Special Measures after going from outstanding to inadequate in under 2 years.
Medical negligence lawyers have long been familiar with the concept of ‘never events’, namely incidents that simply should not occur but for the care delivered falling below the standard of a responsible medical practitioner.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) and National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) have recently combined to prepare and update to the clinical knowledge summary (CKS) for recognising cauda equina syndrome.
Written by Nafisa Ismail, medical negligence solicitor at Fletchers. The study completed in the UK found that just under a third of patients were described as having multimorbidity, with such…
NHS breast screening is a hugely important weapon in the fight against breast cancer in the UK.
A recently BBC article told the story of Alex Flower’s struggles with her physical and mental health after feeling like she wasn’t in control during her daughter’s birth.
Researchers at Dundee University have identified a new ultrasound process which offers a more successful diagnosis of prostate cancer.
All stillbirths are tragic, no matter what the circumstances but for parents to learn that their baby’s death could have been avoided is utterly heart-breaking.
The latest figures from the Government’s Compensation Recovery Unit have revealed that the number of personal injury claims, including clinical negligence claims, has dropped to the lowest it’s been in a decade.
In March 2018, the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), also known as the ‘solicitor super exam’ was given the green light by the Legal Services Board.
Since 1992, every April has been a designated stress awareness month. So it is only right that we should all take a moment to make sure that we and the people around us, both at home and at work, are happy, health and coping well.
NHS Digital published it’s review into the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence on 17 April 2018.
The independent regulator of healthcare in England, the Care Quality Commission, has warned of its major concerns regarding the way that private surgeons with practising privileges at private hospitals are managed.
Around 9,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus each year; sadly the survival rate is very poor, with only 13% living for five years or more after diagnosis.
This year we are continuing our support and sponsorship of British Rallycross driver, Graham Rumsey as he competes in the MX-5 Championship.
This week the government announced a 25% boost in places on midwifery courses, in a battle to meet staffing demands.
On 6th February 2018, Jeremy Hunt announce a rapid review into the application of the offence of Gross Negligence Manslaughter (GNM) to healthcare professionals.
Leicester University Hospitals NHS Trust has released a sudden untoward incident report to the online publication, Pulse which was prepared into the circumstances surrounding the death of Jack Adcock in 2011.
East of England Ambulance Service Trust is commissioning an independent review of its operational management during the winter following allegations of avoidable patient harm and deaths.
Recent research suggests disparities in treatment across English could be resulting in hundreds of lung cancer patients dying early each year.
It has been announced that British servicemen who were exposed to atomic radiation as part of military tests in 1950’s will undergo DNA tests to determine whether they have sustained recognised genetic changes as a result.
The mesh types themselves, are similar and give rise to comparable complications, such as pain, infection, erosion, migration and shrinkage but in the case of hernia repair are also associated…
A liver surgeon who branded his initials on the livers of two patients has been recently received a £10,000 fine and been sentenced to 12 months community order.
Accident and emergency room waiting times are one of the major benchmarks that the NHS sets for itself in order to measure its performance.
