Save a life and get sued!
 

What's your take on this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/l...re/7928278.stm

Re: Save a life and get sued!...........
 

I wouldn't give him anything. He doesn't deserve it at all. Ungrateful little...

Re: Save a life and get sued!...........
 

The man was ill. Doctors are in the business of saving lives. They erred. The man deserves compensation for the damage caused by the medical incompetence. IMHO

Re: Save a life and get sued!...........
 

I agree ungrateful .....

Personally I think they should send him a bill for £90,000 for the cost of his care.

This country becomes more and more like the USA. There is no longer such a thing as an accident.

Yes they made a mistake, but there was no intent to cause harm on the doctors side. Unless procedures were not followed or intent can be found then there should be no payout.

We have gotton to the stage now we have to blame everything on someone else. What happened to personal responsability, he was the reason he needed treatment in the first place :mad::mad:

JJ

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I hope he gets mugged the ungreatful Bas****

Re: Save a life and get sued!...........
 

He wasn't there by accident, if he hadn't necked a load of pills and booze in the first place he would never have been there for the medics to make a 'mistake' in the first place.

Presumably he was given legal aid to pursue this case as well, double whammy for the tax payer.

Incidentally procedures weren't followed, the normal dose is 50ml and he was given 4 times the amount, you make an argument stating he should get nothing and then spoil it with that sentence.

Personally I think he should be grateful they treated him at all and I have said for years that I dont think you should be able to sue the NHS, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions though nor that compensation shouldn't be paid for any mistakes, just that claims should be held before an independent board rather than lawyers milking the system to such a degree it's cheaper to pay out rather than fight actions.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I think there's more to it. taking pills as a way of suicide is not the best way. they can be slow to affect and the act of taking them is also very manual and gives enough time for the person to contemplate what they are doing.

this man was crying for help, not trying to kill himself. if he wanted to die, he would have done it in a way there was no chance of being saved. the fact he 'attempted' suicide again 3 years later, and that this case is has been brought up is just an extention of his cry. he is yearning for attention and the need to feel he has a purpose.

depression can isolate and alienate in the minds of those affect by it. there can be a total loss of self esteem, worth and purpose. he doesn't need money, he needs help.... imo!

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

If he hadn't had taken the overdose and this had happened then everyone would say, I assume, that he's entitled to compensation.

If you take out the fact that he was tring to end his own life, the fact is the hospital was negligent and therefore he is entitled to claim.

Do I agree with it? No.

£90,000 would help my self esteem.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I might be missing the point here but as well as saving his life, the doctors did screw up, potentially costing him his life. There are set procedures in place if that sort of thing happens and I'm not aware of any exceptions.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I agree. I don't understand why people think he should be grateful. He was (perhaps is) a sick man. I would imagine that the physical problem caused by medical incompetence would not have helped the mental condition that took him to the point that he wanted to end his life.

Mental illness sadly continues to have the stigma attached that we as a modern society should be moving away from.

If a patient had his life saved as a result of a physical condition, would we be condemning him for persuing compensation as a result of medical incompetence? I think not.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

and if you were clinically depressed, I would imagine the attention and purpose you had been given by fighting for something would do the same thing. the trouble is, from what we know in the report, no one is telling him he is focusing his energies in the wrong direction.

It seems fairly obvious that this guy is looking, needing even, for a goal, a purpose - something to take up his time and show an end result so that he feels he can achieve something. unfortunately, this is not the way to go about it, and without the guidence to show him that, his mental condition means he is unable to take a step back from it all and see what he is doing. he is now locked in and focused on this. he really needs someone to tell him this is not going to help.

if he losses, he'll feel worse. if he wins, the focus will suddenly be gone as it's all over. where does that leave him? back to an emptiness. the cycle will continue.

placing some kind of blame for the things in his life that have gone wrong (according to him) is not the way to go.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

The bloke is an arse, has he no shame?

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I must admit, this is my take on it to.

The mans moral consience of if he should of claimed is more important I feel.
If he felt ok to go ahead with the claim, well then fair enough.
A system is in place for him to do so, and he went ahead, who are we to jugde?

I will not judge, but will type I personally would of not claimed!

(Hope that is not judged as fence sitting;))

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Yup. But the payout is justified. We find ourselves in one of those grey areas people keep talking about..

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I really don't see the grey area in this. The patient in question was permanently damaged by medical incompetence and hasn't worked since. He deserves compensation. It happened over 6 years ago. £90000 isn't a lot if he can't work.

Re: Save a life and get sued!...........
 

Just beacause he got the wrong dose doesn't mean that procedures were not followed. I have no idea if they were followed or not. Procedures could state that multiple independant checks are carried out checking that the correct does is given I don't know.

Maybe the wrong does was written down by the doctor invloved and administered by a nurse? This would not be a failure in procedures, just an accident.

Just to re-state, I don't think he should get anything from what we know.

JJ

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

certainly the comment of someone whom a friend would turn to in a time of need. :rolleyes:

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

They gave him 4 times the normal dose of a drug which then left him permanently disabled. They messed up, pure and simple and he has therefore been awarded damages. Whats wrong with that?

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

yeah, but if he had it the way he threatened, he'd be dead. in my book, that's worse....

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

But he was sick and his life could be saved. The correct result should have been life saved with no physical disability.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Thats immaterial, he didn't end up with a damaged arm because of what he took to try to kill himself, he had a damaged arm because of a medical error.
In addition, he wanted to die. Imagine wanting to die but instead of that being 'saved' and having a crippled arm as a result of medical negligence.....

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

This is what is wrong, with everything in this bloody country, we have a guy, who drinks a lot and then takes quite a lot of drugs, gets completely out of this world, and then the hospital saves his life, and he sues them becuase of a problem, what the hell is wrong with him, It was his own fault, NOT the hospital, what he should do, is give the whole to charity, as they deserve it more than him - he makes me sick.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I'm not for nor against what he is doing to be honest. I just think people, including the media, are missing the real issue at hand, which is this man's mental state.

absolutely, waking up and being the result of a medical blunder is not going to help his being at all. who wouldn't feel worse off for it?

my point is that this man needs professional, psychological help more than he needs money, and I think his efforts would be greater rewarded if, instead of sueing the medical profession, he concentrated on getting better and getting to the root of his mind-state.

a drawn out, public inquiry, court hearing and legal battle does nothing for persona nor frame of mind. for someone already in a fragile state, this really could tip the balance. for his sake and the sake of his family, I hope it won't be a case of 3rd time lucky.

yes, the doctors/nurses made a massive mistake, and by all means should be investigated. but sueing them dry when hospital budgets are already so very very tight is only going to deny someone else requiring the service and attention they might need in an emergency.


seek compensation, yes, but why not look for free private health care (including psychological) for him and his family for the remainder of his life - something more useful and less demanding on an already over-stretched health system.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

You seem to be missing the point altogether. The Hospital made a mistake therfore that's the Hospitals fault is it not ?

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

It's apparent that we live in a society in which there is no attempt to understand people who have a mental disorder... but some of us try to understand your posts Arthur;)

Yes the individual was in hospital because of self inflicted injuries but he was a sick man.

Imagine the scenario where a foolish man goes hillwalking, ill equipped and against weather advice. He gets into difficulty resulting in severe frostbite and when he's rescued he has to have his right foot amputated. Is he entitled to compensation if the doctor cuts off his testicles by mistake?

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

You can read this story two ways, The guy tried twice to kill himself, saved by the hospital.

On the second visit, the hospital gave him slightly more of a drug, that caused a problem, and he is still alive, he then sues the hospital and they give hime compo, you cannot have it both ways, if they didn't save him, he would be DEAD. He will have a problem for the future, but will be ALIVE. He gets £90.000 you can't have it both ways, this is why it is wrong, he should still give the money to charity, what if he tries to kill himself again, the hopsital will still save his life won't they, His life is worth more than money, don't you think.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I think the issue is more about the hospital not following rules and regulations and administering a drug incorrectly. the fact remains that this could have happened to someone else who had not tried to commit suicide. indeed, without the investigation, the hospital may not have got the kick up the backside it needs to ensure this doesn't happen again.

it just so happens that this incident happened to a wannabe suicider. He is right to seek compensation, but he is seeking the wrong sort of payout imo.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Haha slightly more ? Since when has 4X been slightly more ?

It does not matter how you look at this story arthur the fact remain's that the Hospital made a mistake. What if you were in the Hospital for whatever reason and they made such a mistake is that ok ? obvoisly by your logic it would NOT be the Hospitals fault right ?

Also am with harmitage on this one. Having a family member with a mental illness myself(Not alcohol related) I see the total lack of understanding or unwillingness to accpet it.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

The reason this Guy ended up in Hospital is completely immaterial.

The crux of the matter is that he was given inappropriate treatment and as a result has suffered long lasting injuries. Of course he is entitled to compensation.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

the fact is he dosnt deserve a single bean, its all opinions and imo he should be sent on the next plane to switzerland and helped to die over there it would be cheaper.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

as i said, i think if he wanted to die, he'd make sure of it. this is all a cry for help.

unfortunately, those who came to his aid did not follow the rules and regulations. yes, they 'saved' him (albeit, not from himself - I would place money on him trying a third time if the correct help is not sought), but no, it was not a job well done.

this incident could and should have been avoided totally - and I'm not just talking about what happened at hospital - I mean his whole degradation of a period of a few years. this should have been picked up and acted on years ago, either by family, 'friends' or doctors. THAT is the true failure at hand.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

With all due respect Piggy I hope you never have to deal with somebody close to you needing help or understanding because they have a period of mental illness.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

The hospital made a mistake, BUT what should have happened is this, The guy has made several attempts on his OWN life, Everyone makes mistakes, BUT, l think it is totally unfair on the hospital to make this payout, and l still say he should give the money to charity, he doesn't deserve it.

We have so many people in life, that make a mockery of the compo system.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

where has the mental illness angle come from? have i missed something?

are you assuming that because someone commits suicide they are mentally ill?

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Depression is a mental illness. I don't know if everybody that attempts suicide has depression or is mentally ill? The individual we're talking about in this thread was diagnosed with depression.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Everyone is blowing this out of proportion, This guy has tried to kill himself TWICE, this is not the sign of depression, this is the sign of they want your attention all the time, l have a son with a mental problem, so l should now about depression.

I have a great sympathy with people that have depression it is a lonely feeling, If this guy wanted to die, he would do, we always have people that go out of there way to commit suicide, this is why we have the great organisation called The Samaritons, that talk to people and go unnoticed, But the second time this guy was saved, the hospital made a mistake, and he has mildly suffered, and sues, The gut does NOT deserve this money.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I have a solution - next time this guy tries to top himself the hospital just lets him have his way. How about that?.........

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Plenty, it's bad enough we have vultures chasing after ambulances without them sitting by patients beds waiting for them to wake up.

---------- Post added at 23:36 ---------- Previous post was at 23:35 ----------

If he was/is that ill he wouldn't have been working anyway

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

also im asumming this chap has been on some kind of benefits in the past and will more than likely continue to be so in the future, i do hope they take them into account when his claim is settled.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

your right.:)

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Ah, the issue of ambulance chasing lawyers is a completely different topic. You haven't answered my original question.....

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

I thought I had the other day when I said

I have said for years that I dont think you should be able to sue the NHS, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions though nor that compensation shouldn't be paid for any mistakes, just that claims should be held before an independent board rather than lawyers milking the system to such a degree it's cheaper to pay out rather than fight actions.

That said I do find it quite irritating that he should get £90k, after all he deliberately set of the chain of events that caused his disability whereas if you were the victim of crime

CICB payout guidelines
Fractured wrist £4,000
Total deafness £40,000
Loss of both legs £100,000
Quadriplegia £250,000

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

Maybe you should qualify that with, the ensuing chain of events, set in motion by the deliberate acts of the victim resulted, through no action of the victim, in his said disability.

It is the incompetence and/or negligence relating to the administered treatment that is in question.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

If you read back I said that as early as post 6 my real issue is that he was able to sue at all, the NHS is under enough strain already without shyster lawyers getting in on the act. Am concerned the size of payout, I was when you consider what the victims of crime get but when you hear the 'hurt feelings' payouts, it softens it quite a bit.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

That is oversimplifying things. Sometimes people do attempt suicide because they want attention, true ,but sometimes it *is* because they are depressed.

His arm was damaged. He was arguably in a worse position after they saved him than before he attempted suicide. Depending on what benefits he was on, he may actually lose out because of the Compo (some benefits disappear when you have money).



The fact that he has attempted suicide is irrelevant. The problem that this case highlights is possible failures in the hospital.

Giving people the wrong doses of drugs can kill or seriously injure them. Hospitals *should* have systems in place to prevent this. The fact that this guy recieved four times the normal dose (which is not slightly more however you dress it up suggests that in this case the system failed and failed badly. They need to find out why. Sometimes, the only way to make large organisations do this is to use legal action.

---------- Post added at 09:58 ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 ----------

Although if the hospital hadn't fouled up, then he would have no reason to sue..

I don't agree with sueing for the sake of it, but in this case, if the hospital can get his dose wrong, then they can get others wrong. The next one they get wrong could be given to an innocent person who then dies or is seriously injured.

Re: Save a life and get sued!
 

See post 6 and 42

I have said for years that I dont think you should be able to sue the NHS, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions though nor that compensation shouldn't be paid for any mistakes, just that claims should be held before an independent board rather than lawyers milking the system to such a degree it's cheaper to pay out rather than fight actions.

Re: Save a life and get sued!...........
 

Purely by the fact he got the wrong dose is evidence that procedures were not followed. The procedure is that he should have been given the correct dose.

---------- Post added at 10:59 ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 ----------

Four times the safe dose, is not "slightly more."

---------- Post added at 11:02 ---------- Previous post was at 10:59 ----------

And how do you know that?