Medical Solicitors

It's no secret that care standards on NHS maternity units are falling below a reasonable standard. There have been many high-profile investigations in recent years, from Morecambe Bay to Shrewsbury & Telford and the ongoing case at Nottingham. But it's far from a few bad apples. A recent report from the CQC has found that 65% of maternity units are failing at patient safety, and almost half have been graded as inadequate or needing improvement. In this month's blog, we take a closer look at the issues facing maternity care. Read it here https://lnkd.in/eQyE8e8g

Our client, Wendy, spoke to BBC Look North and ITV Calendar yesterday to raise awareness of PTSD in veterans, following the launch of this year’s Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal which focuses on mental health. Wendy lost her husband Tony to suicide a day after he was sent home from A&E without a mental health act assessment. She has been supported to make a compensation claim against the NHS trust for their failings by solicitor, Lynsey Furley, head of our Hull office. The report also heard from Combat Stress who say it often takes 13 years for veterans to reach the charity for mental health support. Read the story here https://t.co/jhMmu1Ho6W Or watch the report here https://lnkd.in/ecga5sFK

The birth of a child should be a wonderful, life-changing time for a mother and her whole family. However, mothers and babies are being constantly failed by substandard care across NHS maternity services. So much so, good care has become the exception rather than the rule. In this month's blog, we look at some of failings within maternity care, with stories from some of our clients we have supported to make a birth injury negligence claim. Read it here https://lnkd.in/eQyE8e8g

Medical negligence isn't just botched surgery. It can be caused by errors when seeing your GP, dentist, optician, osteopath, or aesthetician. Wherever there is a medical duty of care, medical negligence can occur. From misdiagnosis to treatment injuries, our team of specialist medical lawyers have a breadth of experience in investigating all manner of medical negligence claims. Find out more about the types of medical negligence claims here https://lnkd.in/dvEuh3iJ

After generations of silence, it's great to see the change in narrative about menopause. But there is still more that needs to be done to improve the level of care women of menopausal age receive. Most women will enter the menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, but one in ten will experience premature menopause (before 40). Once symptoms start, you’re classed as perimenopausal until you’ve not had a period for 12 months. NICE guidelines state that if a woman is over 45 and presenting with any of the 34 typical menopause symptoms, their GP should automatically assume and diagnose menopause. However, women are often suffering the debilitating symptoms in silence, having been snubbed by medical professionals and employers. Delays to diagnosis means a delay to treatment, such as HRT, which can help reduce the risk of women developing osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. If you have been through, or are going through, the menopause, did you feel you were adequately supported by your GP? What made your experience so positive? And how have you passed this on to others? #WorldMenopauseDay #MenopauseAwareness

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with 1 in 7 women developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Thankfully, breast cancer survival rates have doubled in the past 50 years due to things like improvements in treatment, the NHS breast screening programme for earlier detection, and the annual breast cancer awareness month encouraging women to check their breasts regularly for lumps. But 1 woman will still be diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes. While a diagnosis of breast cancer is always devastating, the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of successful treatment. Delays in diagnosing and treating breast cancer can have a devastating impact on patients, affecting the stage and grade of disease, treatment options, recovery time and potentially reducing the overall chance of survival. Patients who have suffered breast cancer medical negligence may be able to make a claim for compensation for the extent of their injuries and any financial losses caused directly by the negligence. Our team of expert medical negligence solicitors have investigated many breast cancer claims for women who have suffered due to breast cancer negligence, or have passed away after the cancer spread. You can read them in full here https://lnkd.in/eyfN8r3s #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth

Baby Loss Awareness Week is a special time to remember those babies who were too precious for earth 💗 💙 Losing a child, either through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or neonatal death, is a tragic experience that lives with a parent forever. It can be an isolating time for bereaved parents. Unlike when you bring a baby home from hospital, few people will call round bearing gifts or cards, let alone know the right words to say. This week, we're encouraging you to talk to your friends, family or colleagues about baby loss if only to understand the indescribably heartache that thousands of parents go through every year. We also welcome the news all parents who have experienced losing a pregnancy before 24 weeks, whether recent or historic, can now apply for a certificate formally recognising their loss. This will have a huge impact, as there are up 150,000 miscarriages, 12,000 ectopic pregnancies, and 3,000 stillbirths every year. We don't always know why baby loss happens - sometimes the cause is unexplained. But too many parents have left hospital with empty arms and broken hearts due to failings in maternity care such as failures to act on reduced movements or growth restrictions, mismanagement of high-risk mothers, or failures to treat Group B Strep. The life-long impact of knowing a stillbirth or neonatal death could have been avoided remains devastating and painful for families. No amount of money will change what happened, but some parents choose to make a medical negligence claim to find out what happened and why. If you're looking for information about why stillbirths and neonatal deaths happen, and what support is available for bereaved parents, find out more here https://lnkd.in/eSzwbc-3 #BabyLossAwarenessWeek #BLAW2024 #BLAW

Long hours spent defending clients and managing complex cases have long been regarded as part and parcel of being a lawyer. But normalising that pressure-cooker working environment is inevitably leading to a rise in burnout and mental ill-health across the industry. As today is World Mental Health Day, with a focus on mental health in the workplace, we’re sharing how our law firm is committed to creating healthy working environments across our three Yorkshire offices. Across the company, we make a conscious effort to reduce pressures that can be felt in the legal profession. We don’t work to billing targets, time-recording is set at a fair level and caseloads are maintained at a modest level. This allows staff time to engage with clients fully, and investigate claims thoroughly, so that settlements are reached without undue delay. Our team work flexibly and remotely where possible and we have invested in technology that has helped the team adapt to home working. Staff in-office all have standing desks that are great for stretching out your back rather than slouching over a desk for hours on end. And we take care of everyone in relation to desktop ergonomics, whether at home or in the office. We also encourage breaks, making sure staff stretch their legs and get some fresh air. In York, the team are lucky enough to be in walking distance to the city walls which helps get their steps in during lunch breaks. The Sheffield team have the beautiful Millhouses Park on their doorstep. And over in Hull, they’re overlooking the Estuary for waterside wellbeing walks. Handling emotionally charged cases involving medical negligence isn’t always easy to deal with. To help our team recharge, each office has a breakout area with beautifully upholstered sofas and lounge chairs for moments of relaxation, concentrated focus or to escape distractions. We also have a culture of openness and encourage our team to share anything they’re struggling with. We are also committed to supporting our junior team to qualify via the SQE or CILEx route, and actively encourage our senior team to apply for accreditation in recognition of their skills and experience. If your work-life balance is affecting your mental health, pause, think about your priorities, and speak to your manager about how they can support you to make some changes. Legal professionals can access free and confidential support from Law Care, the legal sector's mental health charity, by calling 0800 279 6888.

You certainly do learn something new every day! While investigating a recent case enquiry, we learnt that scaphoid fractures aren't just caused by falling on an outstretched hand - though that is the most common reason. They can also be the result of a punching injury. Who knew?! If you've never even heard of the scaphoid, it's the smallest bone in your wrist, but the one most often broken. Sport plays a big part in scaphoid fractures, either in contact or jumping sports like football, rugby, boxing, basketball or wrestling, or those sports with a risk of falling, such as skiing, snowboarding, skating or rollerblading. Because the scaphoid is so small, fractures are usually not seen on a normal x-ray straight after the injury. It's recommended that a repeat scan be taken around 10 days later. A doctor should also carefully examine the wrist., looking for tenderness in the 'anatomical snuff box' - the indented bit of skin at the very base of your thumb when you stretch your hand. Fun fact: it's supposedly named after where gentlemen or women used to place their snuff before sniffing! Delayed diagnosis of scaphoid fractures can cause many long term problems such as delayed healing, non-union of the fracture, or malunion, where the bone heals in the wrong position. We have supported various claimants who have been unable to do daily tasks or needed invasive surgery after their scaphoid fractures went untreated for weeks, months or even years. Find out more about scaphoid fractures here. https://lnkd.in/eShCyu9G

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month so here's your Monday morning reminder to give your boobs some TLC. Over 2 in 5 women (44%) don't check their breasts regularly for potential signs of cancer, and 1 in 10 have never checked their breasts. It only takes a few minutes but it could save your life. You're checking for things not normal for you, such as: 🔹A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit 🔹A change to the skin, i.e., puckering or dimpling 🔹A change in the colour, size or shape of the breast 🔹A nipple change, such as inverting, discharge or a rash/crust It's important to see your GP if you notice any changes when checking your chest. Most changes, including lumps, are not cancer. But the sooner breast cancer is found, the better chance of successful treatment. Breast Cancer Now has lots of information about what signs and symptoms of breast cancer include, as well as how to check the whole breast area. https://lnkd.in/eQhu3-wk