Doctors at Basildon Hospital A&E Department reportedly sent a patient home with migraine tablets when the patient was in fact suffering from blood-on-the-brain, a serious and potentially fatal condition often requiring urgent surgery.
Mr Wylde visited Basildon Hospital suffering from a bleed-on-the-brain, otherwise known as subdural haematoma. The condition occurs when the brain bleeds and blood collects between the brain and the skull, putting pressure on the brain. It is this pressure on the brain which causes pain for the sufferer.
The patient from Basildon attended the A&E department at Basildon Hospital on three separate occasions. In the first instance he was reportedly sent home with migraine tablets and antibiotics, only to return four days later because he was still in such pain. Despite claiming to have pleaded for a brain scan, the patient was only put on steroids to numb the pain.
A few days later, still suffering from severe pain, Mr Wylde’s wife called an ambulance. This time, once admitted to A&E, the patient was seen by a consultant and was given a CT scan. Following the results of the scan, the man was moved to another hospital and rushed into surgery the next morning.
A spokesman for Basildon Hospital said:
“We regret Mr and Mrs Wylde have concerns about the care he received and will be carrying out a thorough investigation into their claims.
“Initial investigations show none of Mr Wylde’s symptoms indicated the need for a CT scan. Once he was admitted to hospital for close monitoring, a CT scan was requested and carried out at the earliest opportunity.”
Commenting on clinical negligence cases where there has been a potential misdiagnosis, Dominic Graham, clinical negligence compensation solicitor at Blackwater Law, said:
“Whilst I cannot comment on this particular case, instances of patients being misdiagnosed are unfortunately not uncommon. Where this has taken place, the patient may be entitled to make a medical misdiagnosis compensation claim.
“Misdiagnosis can lead to delayed medical treatment, this is particularly serious where urgent medical attention is critical in preventing further suffering for the patient, or reducing the likelihood of long-term effects.”
If you have been misdiagnosed by a doctor at hospital, or your local GP, it is recommended you contact a specialist clinical negligence solicitor, such as the team at Blackwater Law, for free initial advice about potentially making a claim for compensation.
This news story was originally reported on by the Daily Mirror.
