The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust Compensation Claim

If you have been injured as a result of clinical negligence at the Princess Alexandra Hospital you may be entitled to financial compensation. Call Quittance on 0800 376 1001 to discuss your options with medical negligence specialist.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust case study

An 80-year-old man was awarded £8,500 in an out-of-court settlement following an allergic reaction to negligently prescribed eye drops after cataract surgery at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

Following surgery on his left eye, the claimant was discharged with Maxitrol eye drops, which contained Neomycin, an antibiotic to which he had a known allergy. This allergy was clearly recorded on both his hospital wristband and discharge notes, yet the bottle from the hospital pharmacy lacked a label indicating the active ingredients, and no information leaflet was provided.

The day after discharge, the eye Nurse confirmed that his eye was healing well and gave him a repeat prescription for the same drops. However, the following day, the claimant's eye became severely bloodshot, swollen, and oozing pus, causing extreme pain. Mistaking these symptoms as normal post-surgery effects, he continued using the drops. Eventually, a rash developed around his eye and spread across his body.

For two weeks, the claimant endured severe pain, was bedridden, and could only tolerate a sheet over his body due to the discomfort.

Discovery of the negligence

At this time the original bottle of eye drops ran out and the repeat prescription was used to obtain a further supply.

On reading the leaflet provided with the new bottle, the claimant's wife discovered that Neomycin was one of the active substances and the claimant immediately stopped using them.

After some weeks the rash subsided, the swelling to the claimant's eye diminished and he gradually made a full recovery over a period of several weeks.

See also:

Allergic reaction compensation claims

Personal injury solicitors in Harlow

Compensation settlement

The defendant agreed to the claimant's Part 36 offer of £8,500 to settle the claim. The sum included £7,000 for general damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity.

Making a compensation claim against The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

The panel of solicitors have significant experience in taking on hospital trusts and securing financial compensation for NHS patients wishing to make a clinical or medical negligence claim.

Call us on 0800 376 1001 to discuss your situation with a claims expert or find out what your claim could be worth.

Disclaimer

Case studies are for informational purposes only and aim to help prospective claimants understand the injury claim process. They are based on cases handled by Quittance panel solicitors or sourced from public court records.

Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher

About the author

Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.