Whenever any patient remains in hospital, it is vital they receive a suitable level of nursing care and attention, especially so for the elderly who might have greater needs and health problems to manage.

The vast majority of patients receive excellent care from dedicated and committed staff, sometimes in difficult and trying circumstances. However, there are occasions when that care falls below a reasonable standard and there are often severe consequences for the patients.

Elderly patients often have particular care needs. We have dealt with cases recently where the care of elderly patients was mismanaged whilst they were in hospital. ~Robert Barker

Robert Barker, head of the Medical Negligence team at M R Law has dealt with a number of cases recently where the care of elderly patients whilst they were in hospital was not of an adequate standard.

“Elderly patients often have particular care needs. They might require more intensive nursing care or lengthier stays in hospital. For the vast majority of time that care is provided without problems but occasionally things go wrong.

We have dealt with cases recently where the care of elderly patients was mismanaged whilst they were in hospital.

For example, one patient was allowed to become seriously dehydrated with increased sodium levels due to a failure of the hospital to supply him with fluids, causing him to suffer severe health problems in addition to the symptoms for which he had first been admitted. Another elderly patient suffered extensive bruising after being roughly manhandled by nursing staff and a further patient who was suffering with dementia was allowed to get out of bed on numerous occasions, as a result which she fell multiple times suffering various severe injuries.

Sadly, some of these patients died whilst in hospital or soon after leaving hospital. We were able to investigate upon behalf of their relatives the care provided by the hospitals and demonstrate on each occasion the treatment fell below a reasonable standard, before going on to achieve satisfactory outcomes not only for the relatives but also with the hope that similar problems did not arise in the future. “

If you or any relatives have suffered complications arising from treatment received whilst a patient in hospital, please contact our specialist medical negligence team to speak directly to a qualified and experienced lawyer.