This guide discusses when you could make a medical negligence claim if you’ve developed sepsis in a hospital. This includes the eligibility criteria you must satisfy to claim medical negligence compensation.
Following this, we explore what sepsis is and how you could develop this in a hospital. Then, this guide looks at how your case could be assigned a value and what could be included in your settlement if successful.
To conclude, we outline the benefits of instructing a solicitor on a No Win No Fee basis, should you have a valid medical negligence claim and want expert help. Contact our advisors today for a free consultation.
A Guide To Medical Negligence Claims For Developing Sepsis In Hospital
You can speak with our advisors now by:
- Calling us on 0161 696 9685
- Completing our Contact Us form to claim online
- Talking to us directly using the live chat feature on our website
Jump To A Section
- Can I Claim If I’ve Developed Sepsis In Hospital?
- How Could I Develop Sepsis In a Hospital?
- What’s Usually Included In Sepsis Negligence Claims For Compensation?
- Claim Medical Negligence Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis
- Learn More About Sepsis Negligence Compensation Claims
Can I Claim If I’ve Developed Sepsis In Hospital?
If you have developed sepsis in a hospital, you might be able to claim compensation, provided you can prove it was the result of medical negligence. The following three points form the basis of negligence in tort law and must be shown to make a medical negligence claim.
- You must have been owed a duty of care by a medical professional
- This duty must have been breached
- You must have suffered unnecessary harm due to the breach of duty
All medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, owe patients a duty to provide the correct standard of care. If they provide care below the minimum expected standard, they could be liable for any avoidable harm you suffer.
To find out if your medical negligence claim is eligible, contact our team of advisors now for a free case assessment.
How Could I Develop Sepsis In A Hospital?
Sepsis, sometimes known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. Sepsis is caused by your immune system overreacting to an infection and damages your tissue and organs. Medical professionals should be on the lookout for this if they’re treating you for an infection.
You can only claim compensation for developing sepsis in a hospital if it was caused by medical negligence. You could develop sepsis in a hospital in the following ways:
- A medical professional in a hospital misdiagnosed your bacterial chest infection as viral. This led to your condition going untreated. This allowed the bacterial infection to worsen, which resulted in the body going on to develop sepsis.
- A patient was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia however, the doctor failed to prescribe the patient the correct antibiotics. The patient deteriorated and developed sepsis. This resulted in amputations of the patient’s fingers and toes.
- A patient was being treated in a hospital for burn injuries. The nurse failed to clean the injuries correctly, which led the patient to suffer an infection. The patient went on to develop sepsis which left them in a coma. The patient suffered moderate brain damage as a result.
There are many other ways you could develop sepsis in a hospital, so contact our team of advisors now to find out if you have a valid medical negligence claim.
What Evidence Could Help Me Claim Sepsis Negligence Compensation?
To successfully claim compensation due to developing sepsis in the hospital, you must be able to show that it was a result of medical negligence. Evidence can help prove this and show how you were affected by it.
To support your medical negligence claim, consider gathering evidence like:
- Your medical records
- Diary notes of your symptoms and the treatments you received
- Witness contact details of anyone who may have visited you during your time in the hospital
Providing your case is eligible, a solicitor from our panel could gather evidence as part of their service to support your medical negligence claim. Speak to our team of advisors now for a free consultation.
What’s Usually Included In Sepsis Negligence Claims For Compensation?
If you make a medical negligence claim due to developing sepsis in a hospital and succeed, you could receive a settlement containing up to two heads of claim. General damages, which compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by medical negligence, is the first. To determine your compensation amount, several factors will be considered, including:
- The severity of the harm you’ve suffered
- The time it takes you to recover
- How the harm you’ve suffered has impacted your quality of life
The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) could be used to help assign a value to your case. This document provides valuation brackets for different kinds of harm after analysing awards previously given in court cases. Also, as part of the process, a report could be obtained following a medical assessment to help hone in on a more definitive valuation.
Below is a table of guidance amounts taken from the JCG for different injuries. Since all cases differ, we cannot guarantee the compensation you could be awarded.
Compensation Table
| Harm | Compensation | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Kidney | £169,400 to £210,400 | Loss of both kidneys. |
| Up to £63,980 | The future risk of a urinary tract infections is significant or other total loss of natural kidney function. | |
| Hand | £61,910 to £90,750 | Amputation of Index and Middle and/or Ring Fingers |
| In the region of £24,990 | Amputation of the Terminal Phalanges of the Index and Middle Fingers. | |
| Brain | £43,060 to £90,720 | Moderate (iii), where concentration and memory are affected and the ability to work is reduced. |
| £15,320 to £43,060 | Less severe, where person makes a good recovery but still persisting problems like poor concentration and memory. | |
| Lung | £54,830 to £70,030 | Significant and worsening lung function and impairment of breathing. |
| £31,310 to £54,830 | Breathing difficulties, with significant effect on working life. | |
| Toe | £36,520 to £56,080 | Amputation of All Toes. |
| In the region of £31,310 | Amputation of the Great Toe. |
Special Damages In Sepsis Negligence Claims
The second head of claim you could receive, following a successful medical negligence claim due to developing sepsis in a hospital, is special damages. This compensates you for reasonable losses incurred in the past and future due to the harm suffered. You should keep evidence of these losses to ensure you receive your full compensation entitlement.
Evidence that you could supply includes:
- Travel receipts that prove the costs you’ve incurred due to not being able to drive
- Invoices that show the medical expenses you’ve had to pay to recover
- Payslips that highlight your loss of earnings due to being incapable of working
It is important to note that you will only receive damages for the harm caused by the medical negligence, not for the effects of the original injury. Contact our team of advisors now to uncover if you’re eligible to work with a solicitor from our panel. They could provide an evidence portfolio to support your case as part of their service if eligible.
Claim Medical Negligence Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis
If you’re eligible to pursue compensation due to developing sepsis in the hospital, consider instructing No Win No Fee solicitors to ensure your case runs smoothly. Some solicitors offer a kind of No Win No Fee agreement, known as a Conditional Fee Agreement, which means that:
- When you instruct a solicitor, you won’t have to pay any upfront fees
- As your case is progressing, you aren’t required to pay any fees
- If your claim wins, your solicitor will take a success fee, which is a legally capped percentage of the compensation you’re awarded
- If your claim doesn’t succeed, your solicitor won’t take a success fee
Moreover, our panel of experienced solicitors work under this agreement and will only agree to your appointment if they feel your case has a good chance of succeeding. This means you can be confident your time will be used effectively if they agree to work with you.
To find out if you can instruct a solicitor from our panel, get in touch with our team of advisors now by:
- Calling us on 0161 696 9685
- Completing our Contact Us form to claim online
- Talking to us directly using the live chat feature on our website
Learn More About Sepsis Negligence Compensation Claims
We hope this guide has answered your questions about claiming medical negligence compensation due to developing sepsis in the hospital. For more of our helpful guides, please look below:
- Circumstances that are classed as medical negligence
- Medical negligence claims frequently asked questions
- Claiming compensation due to GP negligence
For some external resources, please look here:
- The NHS constitution provided by Gov.UK
- Get medical help from the NHS
- Information from Gov.UK about statutory sick pay