Before being fined this sum, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation had been given improvements from the CQC relating to patient care, which they failed to meet. These improvements specifically were related to the management of patient safety in the hospital and the prevention of them developing sepsis. 

 

However, only two months after these improvements were given to the Foundation in 2018, two patients tragically died. These separate incidents were involving a mother-of-six, and a 14-year-old girl, both of whom were suffering from sepsis, and were 'exposed to significant risk of avoidable harm” while in hospital. Ms Billingham died after multiple organ failures caused by the infection, and Teenager Kaysie-Jane was given an incorrect early warning score, meaning further measures were not taken in due time to save her life. It is 

thought that after being transferred to another hospital, she was initially believed to have gastroenteritis. 

 

In the hearing for the case, the trust admitted two breaches of the 2008 Health and Social Care Act. Speaking of the incidents, CQC deputy chief inspector of hospitals, said: “Natalie and Kaysie-Jane’s deaths are tragedies. My thoughts are with their families and all those grieving their loss. The NHS Foundation was then fined £2,533,332, and ordered to pay a £38,000 contribution to the costs of the prosecution. 

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection, that requires immediate medical attention. If sepsis can be recognised and treated within the first hour of symptoms developing, then the survival rates are increased to around 80%. If your sepsis has been misdiagnosed as another condition, symptoms have been ignored by a medical professional, or the diagnosis was delayed in any way, then you could be eligible make a medical negligence claim for sepsis negligence. 

 

There is no way for infection to be completely prevented, but the risk of infection developing can be largely reduced through the use of proper medical care and attention, and where infection does set in, there are still numerous treatments that can be used to prevent the infection from becoming serious. Further than this, even if Sepsis does set in for a patient, fast medical treatment can reverse it, or minimise its impact so recovery can eventually be made. 

 

If the care you received fell below the required standard “of a responsible body of similarly qualified medical opinion”, then you may well be entitled to make a claim.  To learn more about sepsis, what sepsis negligence is, and how to make a sepsis negligence claim on a no win no fee basis, see our full page dedicated to sepsis negligence, here. 

If you are looking to make a sepsis negligence claim for financial compensation, and are wondering where to begin with making your sepsis negligence claim, then we would always advise you to reach out to a medical negligence solicitor specialising in sepsis negligence claims, such as MG Legal. 

 

Our medical negligence solicitors are always happy to speak with potential clients about their potential claims, and what the claims process will be like for them. At MG Legal, our team of medical negligence solicitors have over 30 years’ experience in sepsis negligence claims, and we have an unmatched success rate of over 99%. To learn more, simply contact us online, here, or by email at enquiries@mglegal.co.uk to speak to a medical negligence solicitor the same working day.