This guide will discuss when you could be eligible to make a medical negligence claim and seek compensation for sepsis from bed sores. We also look at the evidence you could gather to strengthen your case and how a No Win No Fee solicitor with experience handling cases similar to your own.
Could I Claim Compensation For Sepsis From Bed Sores?
Medical professionals owe their patients a duty of care. If this is breached and you suffer avoidable harm as a result, this may constitute medical negligence. Later in this guide, we discuss whether medical negligence could lead to sepsis from bed sores and the impact this could have.
Furthermore, we look at how medical negligence compensation is calculated and what a payout awarded following a successful claim for sepsis from a pressure sore could comprise.
If you have any other questions about claims for medical negligence, please contact our team. They can assess your case for free and determine whether you’re eligible to proceed with your case. They can also provide free guidance 24/7. For further information, you can:
- Call on 0800 652 3087
- Make an inquiry about your claim online
- Use the live chat function below
Select A Section
- Could I Claim Compensation For Sepsis From Bed Sores?
- Could Negligence Cause My Pressure Sores To Develop Sepsis?
- How Do I Make A Bed Sore Negligence Claim?
- What Compensation For Sepsis From Bed Sores Could I Claim?
- Claim Compensation For Sepsis Negligence With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Discover More About Hospital Negligence Claims
Could I Claim Compensation For Sepsis From Bed Sores?
Medical professionals must provide the correct standard of care to patients when they agree to treat them. This is the duty of care they owe. A breach of this could potentially lead to the patient sustaining avoidable or unnecessary harm which could constitute medical negligence.
However, in order to seek medical negligence compensation for sepsis from bed sores, you must prove:
- A duty of care was owed to you by a medical professional.
- This duty was breached.
- You experienced avoidable or unnecessary harm as a result.
Limitation Periods For Clinical Negligence Claims
In addition to fulfilling the eligibility criteria above, you must start your medical negligence claim within the relevant time limit. As per the Limitation Act 1980, you will generally have three years from the date of medical negligence to start legal proceedings. However, in some cases, you could have three years from the date you became aware of the medical negligence, referred to as the date of knowledge.
Other exceptions can also apply, such as if the claimant is under the age of 18, or has a reduced mental capacity to start the claim themselves.
If you have suffered sepsis from bed sores due to a negligent medical professional, call our team to find out whether you’re eligible to make a medical negligence claim and how long you have to do so. An advisor can provide further guidance on the exceptions to the time limit for clinical negligence claims.
Could Negligence Cause My Pressure Sores To Develop Sepsis?
According to the NHS, pressure sores, or bed sores, are damage to areas of the skin and tissue underneath. One of the complications of bed sores is blood poisoning, or septicaemia, which develops from an infection in the pressure sore. This can result in damage to multiple organs and in some cases, sepsis can be fatal. Furthermore, sepsis can result in an amputation of the affected limb being required.
Examples of how sepsis from bed sores could occur include:
- A nurse fails to change your position while you’re in hospital with reduced mobility. As a result, you develop pressure sores which become infected leading to sepsis.
- A nurse fails to clean the pressure ulcer resulting in it becoming infected. As a result, you suffer damage to multiple organs after developing sepsis.
Not all instances of sepsis from bed sores will form the basis of a valid medical negligence claim. You need to prove a medical professional provided substandard care and this resulted in you suffering avoidable harm.
If you’re eligible, you could seek compensation for sepsis from bed sores which can address the physical, psychological, and financial impact you’ve experienced. Call our team to discuss your potential sepsis negligence claim and find out more.
How Do I Make A Bed Sore Negligence Claim?
In order to make a pressure sore negligence claim, you need to prove that a medical professional provided a substandard level of care and caused you to suffer avoidable harm. As such, you should gather evidence to substantiate your claim. For example, you could collect:
- A copy of your medical records. This could include test results and letters from the hospital about your treatment.
- Pictures of the pressure sores.
- Witness contact details, such as from those who were in attendance at appointments.
- A diary detailing your physical and psychological state.
Additionally, you may be asked to attend an independent medical assessment as part of the claims process. This is to help determine the extent of the avoidable harm you have suffered and how it is likely to affect you in the future. The report produced from this assessment can be used to help value your compensation payout.
Your clinical negligence claim may also be subject to the Bolam Test which involves a panel of relevantly trained medical professionals assessing whether the care you received met the correct standard. The findings from the Bolam Test could be used to help support your claim.
You won’t need to arrange the medical assessment or the Bolam Test yourself. Also, if you instruct one of our expert solicitors to help you when seeking compensation for sepsis from bed sores, they can help you build your case and ensure it’s presented in full within the relevant time limits. Call our team using the number at the top of the page for more information about how one of our solicitors could assist you with your hospital negligence claim.
What Compensation For Sepsis From Bed Sores Could I Claim?
If you make a successful medical negligence claim, you could receive a compensation payout comprising:
- General damages, compensating for the physical and psychological impacts of the medical negligence.
- Special damages, compensating for the financial losses incurred because of the medical negligence. This can include care costs, lost income, medical expenses, and travel costs. Evidence, such as payslips, invoices, and receipts, can help prove these losses.
When valuing general damages, reference can be made to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) which contains guideline compensation brackets for various types of harm. These figures can be used alongside your independent medical report.
Compensation Table
The table below uses figures from the JCG, except for the first entry. Please use the figures as a guide only as each settlement will vary depending on the unique circumstances of each case.
| Harm Type | Severity Level | Compensation Bracket - Guidelines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe injuries and illnesses with financial losses | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ | A payout consisting of compensation for the physical and psychological impacts of more than one injury or illness and the financial losses incurred as a result, such as lost income and care costs. |
| Brain damage | Very Severe | £282,010 to £403,990 | The person shows minimal or no evidence of having a meaningful response to their environment, has poor language function, double incontinence and requires full-time nursing care. |
| Moderately severe | £219,070 to £282,010 | The person is very seriously disabled and requires constant care. They also have substantial dependence on others. | |
| Moderate (i) | £150,110 to £219,070 | An intellectual deficit of a moderate to severe nature with a change in personality, an effect on the senses, a significant risk of epilepsy, and no employment prospects. | |
| Leg | Amputations (ii) | £201,490 to £270,100 | Both legs are amputated below the knee. |
| Amputations (iv) | £97,980 to £132,990 | One leg is amputated below the knee. | |
| Kidney | Damage that is serious and permanent or loss | £169,400 to £210,400 | Both kidneys are affected. |
| Loss of one kidney | £30,770 to £44,880 | The other kidney is not damaged. |
For further guidance on how much compensation for sepsis from bed sores you could be owed, please get in touch using the number above. An advisor can offer a free valuation of your potential claim.
Claim Compensation For Sepsis Negligence With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
If you instruct one of our expert medical negligence solicitors to represent you, they could offer their services under the terms of a specific type of No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement. Under the terms of this contract, you typically won’t be required to pay for your solicitor’s services at the following times:
- Upfront for them to start working on your case.
- As your claim proceeds.
- If your claim has a failed outcome.
Following the completion of a successful claim, you will pay a percentage of your compensation to your solicitor as their success fee. However, the maximum percentage they can take is legally capped ensuring you keep the majority of your awarded medical negligence settlement.
Contact Us
If you have any other questions regarding your potential pressure sore negligence claim, please contact our team. They can assess your case for free and determine whether you have eligible grounds to proceed with your case. If you do, they could connect you with one of our skilled solicitors who has experience helping claimants seek compensation for sepsis from bed sores.
For more information, you can:
- Call on 0800 652 3087
- Make an inquiry about your claim online
- Use the live chat function below
Discover More About Hospital Negligence Claims
For more of our helpful medical negligence claims guides:
- Find out what to do if a pharmacy gave you the wrong medication and whether you could seek compensation.
- Information about making a GP negligence claim after you suffered avoidable harm in a GP surgery.
- Learn when you could claim compensation for an operation that went wrong due to surgical negligence.
For more external resources:
- Further information on sepsis from NHS Inform.
- Guidance on the principles and values of the NHS in England from GOV.UK.
- Advice on the professional standards for doctors from the General Medical Council.
Thank you for reading our helpful guide exploring when you could be eligible to claim medical negligence compensation for sepsis from bed sores. If you have any other questions, call our team using the details provided above.