Family awarded compensation after hospital septicaemia death
05 Mar 2010
The family of a pensioner who died from blood poisoning after
breaking her hip is to receive compensation from the hospital trust
responsible.
Lily Convill, 79, fell and broke her hip at home in Belfast in
2005. She was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital, but her
family claims that the broken bone was not diagnosed for another 15
days.
The pensioner also developed a pressure sore on her heel which was
not treated and became infected, spreading until her "whole heel
turned black".
Ms Convill's daughter Christina said her mother had been worried
about the treatment she had been receiving and had expressed fears
that she was going to die or have to have her leg amputated.
Seven months later, the elderly lady died from septicaemia.
Her family took legal action against Belfast Health and Social Care
trust, claiming that it did not provide the patient with the level
of care she could reasonably have expected.
The trust admitted liability for the death and has now agreed to a
clinical negligence compensation payout of GBP 40,000.
A spokesperson said the trust regrets the distress caused but
declined to comment further.
Septicaemia is the presence of bacteria in the blood. If not
treated quickly, the infected blood can spread to vital organs like
the brain and kidneys, which can be fatal.
Olivia Lawson, a partner at Hodge Jones & Allen and a
specialist in clinical negligence claims, commented: "Here at HJA
we a have a dedicated team of clinical negligence specialists -
many of whom have medical training.
"We are able to advise anyone who may find themselves in a similar
situation and we can also help patients through the often difficult
pre-litigation complaints process to get early answers."
