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Care Home Pressure Sore Claims
Reviewed by
Peter Rigby - Managing Director of Medical Negligence | Last updated on: 29th April, 2024
We've got your Care Home Pressure Sore Claim covered
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The decision to place a loved one in the care of someone else is often a difficult and emotional decision, so you need to feel assured that your loved one is receiving the best possible care, especially when directly paying for that care to be provided. In some cases, however, the standard of care falls below what you would expect and residents of care homes do not receive the care they require.
Insufficient attention to a resident’s needs may result in pressure sores (also known as bedsores or pressure ulcers) occurring. This is especially problematic if someone lacks the mobility to be able to shift their body themselves and relies on the care home staff to alter their resting position. Pressure sores are caused by excessive pressure on body parts that have continuous contact with a surface such as a wheelchair or a bed, as circulation becomes limited. There are varying degrees of pressure sores and they can be incredibly debilitating in their most severe form, and may lead to further health problems.
Pressure sores are classed into four different stages based on how severe they are. The symptoms range from red skin that is painful or tender to touch, to blistering or in more severe cases can display yellowish dead tissue and can expose tendons and muscles.
Pressure sores are caused by pressure against the skin that restricts the blood flow reaching that area adequately. Limited mobility is a key factor in the development of pressure sores, where parts of the body that are not well protected by fat and muscle to cushion the pressure on the bone. The most common sites of a pressure sore often occur on areas of the body that are consistently in contact with the chair or bed such as shoulder blades, spine, hip, heels, ankles and behind the knees.
If not treated properly, pressure sores can develop into much more serious problems such as joint infections and skin issues.
Care homes and their staff have a duty of care to ensure that sores do not develop by constantly monitoring the patient and being vigilant to prevent sores from occurring. People who are spending elongated amounts of time in bed or confined to a wheelchair are the most likely to develop pressure sores.
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How can we help?
At Patient Claim Line, we hear from many people who are concerned that a loved one residing in a care home is not being given sufficient levels of care and attention which has resulted in a pressure sore. We can quickly advise you as to whether or not the care home has been negligent and if so, we can pursue a care home claim on the resident’s behalf. If they are unable to pursue the claim themselves for whatever reason (someone has power of attorney or they lack mental capacity or it would just be too stressful for them), we can happily set things up so we can deal with you or any close friend or family member that usually deals with their affairs.
Am I eligible to claim for compensation?
If you or a loved one have suffered a pressure sore while in residential care, then you may be entitled to claim. Patient Claim Line is here to advise you on this.
The best thing to do is get in touch with us and we will be able to advise you very quickly whether or not there is a claim. It costs you nothing to find out if you have a case, and all our claims are dealt with by specialist medical negligence solicitors, on a strictly no win no fee basis.
Why Choose Patient Claim Line for your Care Home Pressure Sore Claim?
Not just lawyers — medical negligence experts
Patient Claim Line was established in 2014 and consists of a team of medical lawyers specialising in cancer negligence and general medical negligence claims.
At Patient Claim Line we have more than 100 solicitors with a combined experience of over 400 years and they will work on your behalf to achieve the best result possible for you.
It’s not enough to use a solicitor who sometimes covers medical negligence. You need someone who knows this area through and through. That is what the solicitors here at Patient Claim Line do. They deal exclusively in this area of law and are experts in the field.
Frequently asked questions about Care Home Pressure Sore Claims
Our expert legal team answer your questions about making a Care Home Pressure Sore Claim
The most common causes of pressures sores are outlined my Mayo clinic. These are:
- Pressure: constant pressure that cuts of the blood flow and eventually causes essential nutrients to reach the part of the body under the constant pressure, which can cause the skin and nearby tissues to die.
- Friction: When skin rubs against clothing or bedding making the skin fragile
- Shear: this is where 2 surfaces move in opposite directions which could mean the skin is pulled in the opposite direction to your body.
As every case is different, you should speak to your solicitor to understand exactly what is needed for your claim. Some of the common types of evidence required are medical records, notes of conversations and photographic/video evidence of the incidents you experienced.
Some of the symptoms our clients have experience include:
- Abnormal changes in skin colour or texture
- Swelling
- Pus-like draining.
- Area(s) of skin that feels cooler or warmer to the touch than other areas
- Tender areas of the body
In our experience these are some of the factors which have contributed to pressure sore claims:
- Failure to co-ordinate plan to ensure appropriate care to avoid pressure sore
- Failure to follow a consistent turning regime
- Failure to complete a risk assessment
- Failure to monitor pressure sores at dressing changes
Meet our Care Home Pressure Sore Team
Case Study
Vincent's Story
"He's always there for us"
At the age of 2 we noticed our son Vincent had trouble with his hearing. We had this testing over a number of years and were repeatedly told there was nothing wrong.
Initially we thought this was a speech and language problem, this wasn't the case. It took 4 to 5 years of assessments, with the constant response that there was nothing wrong with his hearing. A different test was them carried on Vincent overnight where it was found he was profoundly deaf.
After years of frustration we were finally able to provide Vincent with the support he required and received an implant. This has enable Vincent to be able to hear. The support from our solicitors has enabled to to gain access to specialist which have supported Vincent in closing the gap in his speech he lost out on to his peers.
