Medical Negligence
Pearson Legal
Full Credential Description
Whilst any suicide is a tragedy, when it could have been prevented and medical negligence was an issue it is even harder for family and friends to deal with. Breach of duty of care In this case against the Northern Care Alliance, a settlement of £20,000 was made and the Alliance admitted a breach of duty of care.
“Here medication levels were not monitored and our client’s daughter, who had a history of not taking medication correctly, was often left to her own devises. ” In this case, the community mental health team, home treatment team and her local hospital were all found to be negligent.
Our client’s daughter was a friendly outgoing university student with a good job and only developed ongoing psychiatric ill health in her 20s. The breakdown of a marriage and issues at work exacerbated her symptoms of dissociative amnesia, Over three years, our client's daughter developed more serious psychiatric illnesses including; delusion paranoia psychosis She began to self-harm, had recurrent depression, made suicide attempts and at times was sectioned under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act. From 2015 until her death in 2019 she developed a pattern of non-compliance with medications, which health professionals were aware of and should have been dealt with.
The Claimant, the woman’s father, said he felt unsupported at times by the health professionals. “Over the course of her treatment our client’s daughter was given Quetiapine, Clopixol and Zuclopenthixol, and finally Lithium, however it was noted she had issues with taking medication properly. Failure to prevent suicide In this case, the Northern Care Alliance did not provide her or her family with a Lithium Information Booklet and advice on its role in reducing suicide when taken correctly, nor did they monitor its effect on her, nor monitor her serum levels after prescription and for the 25 days preceding her death.
It was alleged that she should not have been discharged from the hospital and sent home when in a depressive phase of her bipolar disorder.