Wrong vaccination given

Following the birth of her child, Miss Cole was given a Rubella immunisation in her thigh. Immediately after the injection the site became very swollen and sore and she developed an abscess which had to be surgically drained.

We carried out an investigation and discovered that the reason for the problems that Miss Cole had experienced was that she had mistakenly been given a BCG vaccination instead of a Rubella vaccination.

Compensation: £66,688.40    

Incorrect prescription

After collecting a repeat prescription of his usual medication for his heart condition, Mr Russell began to suffer from tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. Later he noticed that some of tablets in the medicine bottle were larger than others. Mr Russell subsequently discovered that the chemist had made an error in bottling his medication and that the bottle contained painkillers as well as his normal tablets. Therefore on some days Mr Russell had been taking his usual medication and on other days he had unknowingly been taking a painkiller instead.

We pursued a claim for Mr Russell for the symptoms had had experienced as a result of not having his proper medication every day.

Compensation: £1,500       

Inadequate antibiotic treatment

Mr Robinson had an abscess drained at hospital and was discharged without being provided with antibiotics. After discharge he began to suffer with numbness in his feet and legs, a spinal lesion was diagnosed and he required surgery. Despite surgery he suffered ongoing complications.

We pursued a claim for Mr Robinson on the basis that he should have been given antibiotics after the original abscess had been drained in order to ensure that the infection had been completely eliminated.

Compensation: £247,830  

Inadequate advice

Mrs Rutherford’s GP prescribed mild sedatives for back pain, to be administered through regular injections by her husband. Mrs Rutherford’s GP did not provide sufficient guidance as to how the injections should be given, nor did he observe or check the technique used. Mr Rutherford simply colleted needles and syringes from the surgery as required and administered the injections. Mrs Rutherford developed abscesses to her arms and buttocks.

We pursued a claim for Mrs Rutherford as it transpired that incorrect needles were supplied and thus the sedative had not been administered correctly, causing the formation of abscesses. The GP had inappropriately supplied the medication for long-term pain relief, failed to supervise the administration of the medication, and failed to monitor Mrs Rutherford’s progress.

Compensation: £40,000   

These are genuine case studies, although the names of our clients have been changed to protect their right to privacy and confidentiality.