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Our client suffered unnecessary, avoidable and excruciating pain after a fracture dislocation of her right shoulder was not diagnosed for more than six weeks following a fall at home.
On or around 25 October 2022, our client fell at home and injured her right shoulder. She contacted her GP practice and had a telephone consultation with a Specialist Nurse Practitioner, who recorded that our client had slipped and fallen but denied bony injury. No physical examination or X-ray was arranged at that stage, and our client was issued with a sickness certificate.
Over the following weeks, our client repeatedly sought medical help as her symptoms failed to improve and she was in agony. She reported severe pain, disturbed sleep, difficulty driving, and described her arm as feeling “lumpy” at the top. Despite being visibly distressed and attending multiple appointments with GPs, nurse practitioners, and a First Contact Physiotherapist, she was repeatedly advised to continue with pain relief and physiotherapy exercises. No urgent imaging was arranged.
On 15 November 2022, our client attended the Emergency Department of her local hospital but was referred to her GP without any investigations being carried out. Further consultations took place on 16 November and 24 November 2022, during which our client was again noted to be in significant pain. Although an ultrasound was booked for late December, no urgent X-ray was arranged at that time.
It was not until 2 December 2022, following our client’s request for further investigation, that an X-ray was carried out. This revealed that she had a fracture dislocation of the right shoulder. Our client was referred to Orthopaedics and underwent surgery on 7 December 2022.
It is alleged that multiple clinicians failed to adequately assess our client, arrange appropriate face-to-face examinations, or refer her for timely imaging despite a clear history of trauma and worsening symptoms. It is further alleged that the GP practice is liable for these failures.
As a result of the delayed diagnosis, our client endured avoidable pain and suffering and experienced a delay in healing. Expert evidence supports the position that, had appropriate assessments and imaging been arranged earlier, the fracture dislocation would have been diagnosed and treated within days, rather than weeks. The delay has caused our client to suffer avoidable pain and suffering.
