A&E and Trauma Medicine Negligence Claims

If you are injured in an accident or suffer an illness that comes on very suddenly it is very likely that you will need to be seen in the Accident and Emergency department of your local hospital.  The doctors who see you will be trained in the branches of medicine known as Accident and Emergency Medicine and Trauma Medicine, and will specialise in managing patients in an emergency setting, usually the hospital A&E department (also known as Casualty or the Emergency Room).  Doctors specialising in these branches of medicine manage all types of conditions of sudden onset, which can vary from minor injuries to life-threatening conditions, and which may require either surgical or non-surgical treatment. 

 Common aspects of A&E work include:

• Road Traffic Accidents (RTA)
• Accidents at work and at home
• Head injuries
• Internal medicine emergencies (heart attack, acute asthma attack, stroke, etc.)
• Surgical emergencies (acute appendicitis, fractures, etc.)
• Paediatric emergencies

 Common areas of clinical negligence involving A&E include:

• Missed fractures, resulting in permanent avoidable damage e.g. a scaphoid fracture in the hand, a cervical spine fracture, or a pelvic fracture
• Missed or delayed diagnosis in children e.g. meningitis, which may result in severe neurological injury
• Missed or delayed diagnosis in adults e.g. a pulmonary embolus, which may be fatal
• Incorrect management
• Inappropriate diagnosis and discharge e.g. discharging a patient with the diagnosis of gastritis/indigestion when they actually had a myocardial infarction (heart attack).

If you believe you may have a clinical negligence claim, please contact the team by email at clinnegenquiries@kingsleynapley.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 7814 1200.