Your guide to claiming when Meningitis is improperly diagnosed or missed
Your guide to claiming when Meningitis is improperly diagnosed or missed
I am very happy and satisfied with the settlement you achieved for me and the service was excellent and thank you very much
Mrs E.Swaffield
Loughborough
Meningitis is an infection that can develop rapidly and your child could become seriously ill within hours. Failure by a GP or hospital doctor to diagnose meningitis quickly and accurately can result in permanent physical and psychological disabilities and, in some instances, the loss of life.
In many cases, meningitis may initially develop without any recognisable symptoms or symptoms that are mistaken for a different condition. As there are many different types of meningitis, it is crucial that a doctor performs multiple tests so that a correct diagnosis can be made.
Following recovery from meningitis and septicaemia, you or a loved one may be left with a severe and permanent disability. When a life-changing, permanent injury, which could have been avoided, is caused by symptoms that were missed, misdiagnosed or mistreated, the impact upon the whole family can be devastating.
Cases of meningitis misdiagnosis can often be complex.
Read moreCases of clinical negligence involving the misdiagnosis or substandard treatment of meningitis can often be complicated, but a hospital trust has a legal ‘Duty of Candour’ to both inform and apologise to patients if mistakes have been made while in their care.
However, it may not always be so straightforward to obtain a proper explanation as to what happened and where the responsibility may lie.
It is vitally important that you seek a legal expert who has specialist knowledge of the key medical issues, together with a sympathetic and sensitive understanding of how everyone involved is affected.
If you have contracted Meningitis and it was either missed or diagnosed as something else, you may have a claim. With a wealth of specialist knowledge in meningitis misdiagnosis cases, we can provide support, advice and guidance throughout the process. There are no upfront fees or payments, so talk to Your Legal Friend today for more information.
Your Legal Friend has many years of experience in successfully resolving complex meningitis misdiagnosis cases. We can help you:
For a case like this to be successful, you need to prove that:
As experienced clinical negligence specialists, we know that you and your family may feel shocked and devastated that you may not have received the necessary, appropriate standard of care or treatment. We also know that families need to find answers as to why the health care system has failed them at their time of greatest need.
There can often be an enormous emotional hurdle to overcome before even deciding to seek legal advice. You also need to have confidence that the clinical negligence team you've chosen possess the in-depth knowledge and experience of both the complex legal and medical issues involved in securing a successful meningitis misdiagnosis claim.
However, from the first time we discuss your case, our experienced medical negligence solicitors will treat you with the highest degree of sympathetic and sensitive understanding and provide you with the expert guidance you need.
We are committed to ensuring we properly investigate what went wrong and why, and to make those responsible for their failure to provide you with an appropriate standard of care account for their actions. If we can prove your case, we will secure the maximum compensation for you including loss of earnings, rehabilitation costs, therapy, support, care and specialist equipment, so that your current and future medical treatment and care needs are properly met.
Read lessOur medical negligence team has specific experience in handling meningitis cases and has wider experience in handling complex brain injury cases; so we know how difficult a decision it can be to bring a meningitis compensation claim.
We are therefore committed to guiding you through every step of the process. We ensure that your claim is handled carefully and professionally by our expert solicitors, while working alongside medical experts, to guarantee the best results for you.
Read moreOur medical negligence team is headed by Laura Morgan who has a wealth of experience in leading complicated, high-value medical cases.
Laura has acted in a wide range of cases over her 17 years of practice and is recognised within the legal profession as a leader in the field of medical negligence and serious injury compensation. Laura has achieved a number of large settlements including £5.4 million for a seven-year-old and £4 million for an 11-year-old child.
Laura has been a member of the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel since 2005 and accredited as a Senior Litigator in the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) since 2006. Laura is also a member of the specialist lawyers panel for Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), the UK’s leading charity committed to patient safety and justice.
Laura’s expertise and dedication to her clients are recognised in the Chambers guide to the Legal Profession in which she was praised for the efficiency of her approach to case handling and described as “tenacious and detail-oriented”.
If you’d like to understand whether or not you might be able to pursue a meningitis misdiagnosis claim, either call our freephone number or submit your details through the form on this page and we’ll be in touch to schedule a phone call at a time to suit you. If you decide that you’d like to start a claim, one of our medical malpractice lawyers will be able to tell you whether you can enter into a No Win, No Fee agreement*. A ‘No Win, No Fee’ agreement means that if your claim is unsuccessful, you won’t have to pay any legal costs, so there’s no financial risk to you.
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The effects of medical negligence can be devastating for the individual and their families, so securing appropriate compensation for them as quickly as possible is our top priority.
Director of Medical Negligence
“I found the staff to be friendly, helpful, courteous and they kept me well informed on a regular basis”
Mrs. Vora,
Loughborough
“They acted in a sympathetic and professional manner and resolved my case very efficiently”
Mr Dowse
Leeds
Meningitis is an infection of the meninges which are protective tissue linings or membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. The infection causes the membranes to become inflamed, which in some cases can damage the nerves and brain.
There are two main types of meningitis
It is vital that a diagnosis distinguishes between the two main types of meningitis.
Viral meningitis – caused by viruses spread through coughing, sneezing and poor hygiene.
Bacterial meningitis - caused by a number of different bacteria, such as Neisseria meningitidis or Streptococcus pneumonia,
Viral meningitis - is usually an unpleasant but relatively mild and less serious condition, that most commonly affects babies and young children. Normally there is a complete recovery from the disease but more severe; long-term symptoms may also result.
Bacterial meningitis - is the more serious form of meningitis and requires immediate expert medical assistance.
Read moreMisdiagnosis can occur between the two types of meningitis when the deadly bacterial meningitis is often dismissed as a viral illness by a doctor. This could mean the appropriate tests, including a CT scan or lumbar puncture, are not carried out to confirm that bacterial meningitis is not the cause.
Meningitis can appear in several forms, including:
The most common form is caused by meningococcal bacteria which can cause meningitis, septicaemia or both.
Septicaemia is the more life-threatening form of the disease and is more dangerous when there are no signs of meningitis.
Babies are at a higher risk of bacterial meningitis than any other age group. They can fall ill with all the main types of meningitis and septicaemia, including:
Bacterial forms that mostly, but not exclusively, affect new-born babies are:
This age group are most at risk and may develop some of the following symptoms, in any order:
For this age group, additional symptoms also include:
The glass test – a quick first test you can carry out immediately at home
If a rash appears, press the side of a clear glass firmly against the skin. A rash that doesn’t fade under pressure could be a sign of meningococcal septicaemia.
A rash that doesn’t fade under pressure might first appear as a few small spots or “pinpricks” on any part of the body. The condition often spreads rapidly and begins to look like fresh bruising as blood leaks into the tissue under the skin.
It is vital to get immediate medical help if you or anyone in your family show any symptoms of meningitis.
If a patient is suspected of having meningitis, it is important to perform several key clinical tests to help confirm a diagnosis.
Sometimes, another sickness or condition is thought to be the cause of illness, often including:
In other cases, it might be that the victim developed more than one sickness at a time. A child who developed a cold or flu around the same time as the meningitis bacteria entered the brain could show the signs of the less dangerous sickness. As a result, other symptoms can be overlooked, and they’ll be treated for the less serious condition, allowing Meningitis to go untreated, causing further damage.
In other cases, Meningitis can be misdiagnosed as a more serious condition like cancer – treatment for cancer of the brain does not affect the development of meningitis.
The treatment for severe bacterial meningitis will frequently require hospital treatment.
A variety of regular treatments will include:
Further consequences of bacterial meningitis include:
Complications from meningitis may be caused by a delayed or inaccurate diagnosis made by a doctor or another healthcare practitioner.
Meningitis is an infection of the meninges which are protective tissue linings or membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. The infection causes the membranes to become inflamed, which in some cases can damage the nerves and brain.
There are two main types of meningitis
It is vital that a diagnosis distinguishes between the two main types of meningitis.
Viral meningitis – caused by viruses spread through coughing, sneezing and poor hygiene.
Bacterial meningitis - caused by a number of different bacteria, such as Neisseria meningitidis or Streptococcus pneumonia,
Viral meningitis - is usually an unpleasant but relatively mild and less serious condition, that most commonly affects babies and young children. Normally there is a complete recovery from the disease but more severe; long-term symptoms may also result.
Bacterial meningitis - is the more serious form of meningitis and requires immediate expert medical assistance.
Read moreMisdiagnosis can occur between the two types of meningitis when the deadly bacterial meningitis is often dismissed as a viral illness by a doctor. This could mean the appropriate tests, including a CT scan or lumbar puncture, are not carried out to confirm that bacterial meningitis is not the cause.
Meningitis can appear in several forms, including:
The most common form is caused by meningococcal bacteria which can cause meningitis, septicaemia or both.
Septicaemia is the more life-threatening form of the disease and is more dangerous when there are no signs of meningitis.
Babies are at a higher risk of bacterial meningitis than any other age group. They can fall ill with all the main types of meningitis and septicaemia, including:
Bacterial forms that mostly, but not exclusively, affect new-born babies are:
This age group are most at risk and may develop some of the following symptoms, in any order:
For this age group, additional symptoms also include:
The glass test – a quick first test you can carry out immediately at home
If a rash appears, press the side of a clear glass firmly against the skin. A rash that doesn’t fade under pressure could be a sign of meningococcal septicaemia.
A rash that doesn’t fade under pressure might first appear as a few small spots or “pinpricks” on any part of the body. The condition often spreads rapidly and begins to look like fresh bruising as blood leaks into the tissue under the skin.
It is vital to get immediate medical help if you or anyone in your family show any symptoms of meningitis.
If a patient is suspected of having meningitis, it is important to perform several key clinical tests to help confirm a diagnosis.
Sometimes, another sickness or condition is thought to be the cause of illness, often including:
In other cases, it might be that the victim developed more than one sickness at a time. A child who developed a cold or flu around the same time as the meningitis bacteria entered the brain could show the signs of the less dangerous sickness. As a result, other symptoms can be overlooked, and they’ll be treated for the less serious condition, allowing Meningitis to go untreated, causing further damage.
In other cases, Meningitis can be misdiagnosed as a more serious condition like cancer – treatment for cancer of the brain does not affect the development of meningitis.
The treatment for severe bacterial meningitis will frequently require hospital treatment.
A variety of regular treatments will include:
Further consequences of bacterial meningitis include:
Complications from meningitis may be caused by a delayed or inaccurate diagnosis made by a doctor or another healthcare practitioner.
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