Mr H approached Farleys’ Medical Negligence team about the prospect of making a claim after he lost the sight in his left eye.
Background
On a Saturday, Mr H attended a BBQ. While there, he felt something go into his eye, possibly a spark or an ember, but thought nothing of it. By the next day, the left side of his face and his left eye were swollen, inflamed and painful.
By the Monday morning, Mr H’s condition had worsened and he was sweating and felt unwell. His wife called out a GP from their local medical centre for a home visit. The GP visited that day and found that Mr H’s eye had become so swollen it was closed. Mr H’s wife explained to the GP that he had sweated through the sheets and had vomited.
The GP briefly examined Mr H’s face and outer eyelids. He did not examine Mr H’s eye or take his blood pressure or temperature. He prescribed anti-biotics but did not advise on any potential adverse or serious consequences that may occur if his condition did not improve or worsened.
The next day (Tuesday), Mr H remained unwell. His wife called the medical centre on his behalf once again. She initially spoke to a member of administrative staff and explained that Mr H’s eye was now weeping and discharging yellow pus. The member of staff contacted a second GP to arrange for the prescription of eye drops. Neither GP or medical practitioner spoke to or saw Mr H at the medical centre.
Mr H’s condition continued to deteriorate the next day and he was unable to stand up without assistance but his wife was unable to get the first GP to attend. The GP asked if Mr H’s wife could transport him to Accident and Emergency but she had no means to do so but would try to do so the following day. The GP did not advise her that it was necessary for Mr H to go to the hospital for treatment immediately and that he was at risk of suffering serious consequences if he did not.
A week after Mr H was seen at home, his wife called out another GP, the third to have dealt with Mr H, who examined him and diagnosed left orbital cellulitis. The GP advised Mr H that he needed to be seen immediately at the Eye Emergency Clinic at his local hospital.
Mr H was seen at the Eye Emergency Clinic the same day. After this, and further specialist appointments, it was found that Mr H had suffered a complete loss of sight in his left eye.
How Farleys were able to help
Mr H instructed Nick Molyneux of Farleys’ Personal Injury team to act on his behalf in a claim against the two GPs who provided negligent treatment which resulted in the loss of his sight.
This was a particularly challenging claim to bring against two defendants. Farleys instructed care experts, psychologists and an eye expert to provide specialist testimony to support Mr H’s claim.
The team successfully argued that, had Mr H been adequately examined and advised on the severity of his injury in a timely fashion, it would not have resulted in the loss of his sight. As a result, we secured damages of £87,500 for delayed diagnosis and failure to explain the severity of the injury. These damages covered Mr H’s pain and suffering from the delayed diagnosis, the cost of care and treatment, as well as future costs incurred as a result of his injury.
Nick Molyneux commented,
Mr H was badly let down by medical professionals not once but twice, resulting in a life changing injury. Had the seriousness of his injury been explained at the earliest opportunity and had he been sent to the hospital right away, Mr H would not, on the balance of probabilities, have lost his sight in one eye.
We were pleased to have been able to secure these damages for Mr H, to provide closure on his experience and to fund the treatment and care he needs going forwards. We wish him all the best in his continued recovery.
If you have suffered due to the negligence of a GP or medical practitioner, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. For a confidential assessment of your case by a medical negligence expert at Farleys, please call 0845 287 0939, complete our online contact form, or contact us through the online chat below.