Pressure sore claims

What are pressure sores?

Pressure sores, also known as bedsores or pressure ulcers, occur when someone remains immobile for a prolonged period. 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.

Insufficient attention to patients and residents’ needs may result in pressure sores occurring. This is especially problematic if someone lacks the mobility to be able to shift their body themselves and relies on hospital or care home staff to alter their resting position for them.

Pressure sores are a result of 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, especially for parts of the body without protection 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.

Types of pressure sore negligence claims

We have supported cases on many different types of pressure sore claim where negligence has been displayed by a health professional, such as:

• Failure to accurately assess a patient’s needs
• Failure to prevent infection of a pressure sore
• Failure to regularly check the patient and move their position if the patient is spending elongated amounts of time in bed or confined to a wheelchair

We hear from many people with concerns over someone they love. They may be living in a care home and not receiving sufficient levels of care and attention which then results in a pressure sore. We can quickly advise you as to whether the care home has been negligent. If so, we can pursue pressure sore claims on their behalf. If they are unable to pursue the claim themselves (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.

What are the consequences of pressure sore negligence?

If pressure sores are not treated properly, they can develop into much more serious problems, such as:

• Joint infections
• Bone infections
• Skin issues
• Blood poisoning

Pressure sores fall into four different stages in terms of 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.

All medical professionals, whether in hospital or in a care home, have a duty of care to ensure that sores do not develop into something more severe by constantly monitoring patients and residents and being vigilant to prevent sores from occurring.

Am I eligible to claim compensation?

If you, or someone you care about, suffers from a pressure sore while in hospital, during a stay in residential care, or at any time when you are relying on healthcare professionals, you may be eligible for pressure sore compensation.

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 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 Lawyers, on a strictly no win no fee basis.

How Patient Claim Line can help with pressure sore claims

We’re not just the UK’s top-rated medical negligence specialists, but we’re also people just like you. This means we have a genuine understanding of cases involving pressure sore neglect, and a desire to help you with a wider understanding around pressure sore claims. If we accept your case, our expert legal team will guide you through each step and ensure you’re never left alone.

Pursuing a claim against a hospital can be very daunting. Hospitals are large institutions and despite recent efforts to try and be more open with patients when mistakes happen, the reality is that it’s often difficult to find out the reality of the situation. When you know deep down that something has gone wrong, where do you turn to get the answers you need and any compensation you deserve? At Patient Claim Line, taking on hospital trusts is something we do day in, day out. Our medical negligence solicitors deal with roughly 1 in every 10 claims made in the UK, so chances are we have successfully taken on most hospital trusts, and over the years our legal team has won millions in compensation for their clients. Whether the hospital’s mistake resulted in a few weeks of unnecessary pain, or serious long-term problems where you have been unable to work or required care and assistance, Patient Claim Line is here to help you recover your losses and get some answers.

Interested in knowing more about pressure sore claims? You can now also ask an expert…