Has anyone successfully sued the NHS?

[DIVA]

 

a note for anyone planning to sue the NHS, is make sure you get all your notes from the hospital before you seek any solicitor to help you sue. make sure when you apply for them that you say you need them for DLA or you may find that they are being tampered with or even go missing.

 

Oh, I wish someone would have told me that a long time ago. In a family dispute several years ago, lots of potential evidence 'went missing' at the hospital.

[Heyesey]

What does a person gain by suing the NHS?

 

A great wodge of taxpayers' money.

 

If it was made more clear that people aren't suing the NHS, but suing the taxpayers, they might think twice before doing it; but then again, the NHS should be held accountable, should it not?

[*_ash_*]

... in fact maybe not.

 

One serious discussion at once.

 

[CHAIRBOY]

My litigation began in 1993 and was well before the "suing culture" prompted by TV adverts came into being.

Solicitors receive a lot of flack for "making a lot of money" out of someone's misfortune. As my solicitor points out, they should be pointing the finger at the NHSLA (Litigation Authority) which instructs defendant lawyers to defend the indefensible.

[Olec]

A great wodge of taxpayers' money.

 

If it was made more clear that people aren't suing the NHS, but suing the taxpayers, they might think twice before doing it; but then again, the NHS should be held accountable, should it not?

 

What difference does it make, if you have to pay it anyway, it dosent matter what it get's spent on, it's not going to affect the NHS or your finantial status if someone sues them one week, they arent going to ask you for more tax are they?

[CHAIRBOY]

After 5 years of unnecessary pain and suffering, I think I would want a bit more than a "sorry".

 

Although money won't be able to make up for the suffering, at least it will enable the OP to get some enjoyment now.

 

I am NOT in favour of all this sue 'em at the drop a hat brigade, but a serious misdiagnosis is a very different matter.

 

Five years is usually the time-scale of the litigation, there's the suffering and inconvenience - ambulant to wheelchair - for rest of one's life, loss of earnings, quality of life, medical necessities.

Until one has been there, it is very difficult to appreciate and it affects other family members as well.

We loved our house and had lived there for more than ten years but a wheelchair can't get up a staircase with a gradient of 1 in 8 and thus we had to move. (No room for stairlift)

When your life has been turned upside down by such trauma, I think people are well entitled to seek compensation. Once there is a medical problem, the likelihood is a breakdown in other bodily functions. Things rarely improve, - maintain a plateau and you're doing well.

Much money is 'saved' when the mistake leads to death as the patient does not require daily care, on-going loss of earnings etc.

Doctors are human and there will be blunders as long as there are doctors but admit it and own up when it's plainly obvious a mistake has been made, rather than throw good money after bad trying to defend it.

[Zamo]

What difference does it make, if you have to pay it anyway, it dosent matter what it get's spent on, it's not going to affect the NHS or your finantial status if someone sues them one week, they arent going to ask you for more tax are they?

 

If someone wins damages of £100k from the NHS and legal fess amount to the same then that's £200k that will NOT be spent on providing health care. It ain't complicated is it?

 

We need to remember that life isn't fair. Sometimes we're lucky and sometimes we are unlucky. If your lucky dip ticket won the lottery you wouldn't think it fair if you had to share your good fortune with people who bought lucky dips from the same shop because they hadn't been as lucky. Why then do we expect other people to share our misfortunes?

 

The NHS is a free to use, non-profit organisation. Whilst there of course needs to be accountability, there should also be a non-compensation clause for anyone using the service (except where compensation is needed to pay for ongoing private care as a result of neglect). If people want the option to sue in the event of something going wrong then they should go private. That way the compensation comes from company profits and not at the expense of someone elses care or even someone elses life.

[Olec]

The NHS perhaps needs to focus on quality over quantity, it offers the most basic of needs, perhaps through desperation but apparently BUPA offer quite comfy beds, cosy wards and everything.

[gillybob]

can any one answere this then, i worked all my life, paid my taxes, and my NI, so when the NHS who promise to treat me to a standard, with all their medical experience (paid wages by all taxpayers) but do not finish the job and i have to go else where to get the job finished so to give me a good quality of life!!! why should they get away with this. i put my faith in them diagnosing and treating my problem....

i paid in the first place to get this treatment. so no, "misdiagnosis" is not an option. pass me to someone else for god sake, who does know what they are doing. isn't there enough specialists in the NHS?

[Raychul69]

If you lost a child at the hands of the NHS would you be happy with a "oh dear I'm sorry"?? Would you think oh well I should have gone private it's my own fault?

Even though the NHS is a not for profit organisation they have a care of duty and should be competent in the job they are doing.