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Thousands of people die from sepsis every year in the UK. If allowed to develop, this life-threatening infection can cause septic shock, limb loss and can also be fatal.
If you’ve contracted sepsis whilst in a healthcare setting, such as a hospital or nursing home, you may be able to claim compensation. Early detection is crucial with sepsis to prevent long-term injuries. If a medical mistake led to a delay in the diagnosis of your infection and the start of your treatment, our expert medical negligence solicitors will factor that in to your claim for compensation.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is the primary cause of death from infection around the world, claiming around 52,000 lives in the UK and 6 million lives globally every year. Sepsis is a condition where the body’s immune response, triggered by an initial bacterial infection such as MRSA or septicaemia, overreacts and starts to attack the body. If not treated quickly, it can affect vital organs – causing long term damage and loss of life. One quarter of all sepsis survivors suffer permanent, life-changing after effects.
What counts as medical negligence in sepsis compensation claims?
Healthcare providers, such as hospitals and nursing homes, have a duty of care to ensure that their premises meet are safe and hygienic, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like sepsis. They also must ensure that treatment is prompt and effective, to ensure patient’s conditions do not worsen unnecessarily. If your healthcare setting failed to follow hygiene procedural guidelines, such as covering open wounds and separating other patients with infections, you may be able to claim compensation. Also, if the diagnosis of your infection was delayed for any reason, such as your medical professional failed to recognise the early symptoms or your referral to the hospital after being diagnosed was delayed, this may amount to medical negligence. Our expert team of medical negligence solicitors will discuss the details of your case and determine whether more could have been done to prevent your infection.
What could compensation pay for?
If left untreated, sepsis can affect the vital organs and subsequently the flow of oxygen around the body. This in in turn can cause permanent, life-changing injuries such as amputation. If you have suffered a serious injury because of sepsis, as well as covering loss of earnings, your compensation could help to pay for any future care needs such as household adaptions, rehabilitation and therapy needs and ongoing healthcare costs. Our team will help you access the best possible treatments, rehabilitation and support and we can help secure interim payments during your claim before the final settlement is agreed.
Our team understands that your life may have been irreversibly changed due to sepsis. They’ve helped many individuals, who’ve contracted sepsis in a healthcare setting, to claim compensation for their injuries. They are experts in medical negligence cases such as these and will work with a team of medical experts to examine every detail of your case and secure you the best possible compensation. We pride ourselves on making the claims process as straightforward as possible, which is why our team offers home visits and ongoing support — to ensure your main focus is getting your life back on track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The general rule is that you have three years from the date of infection or the date when you realised your infection or illness had been caused by medical error or negligence.
If you are claiming on behalf of a child, you can claim at any time until the child turns 18 When the child turns 18, they can bring a claim in their own right but the three year time limit will then apply and they will have until they are 21 to do so.
There are exceptions to this rule. For example, there is no time limit for people who don’t have the mental capacity to make legal decisions and different time limits apply for some injuries or illnesses sustained abroad.
Time can be a critical factor in compensation claims, so it’s important to get in touch with our specialist medical negligence team as soon as possible for expert advice.
The compensation you receive depends on the severity of your injuries and the impact on your life. Severe, life-changing injuries will involve more compensation to cover medical bills, rehabilitation, care and support, adaptations to the home and loss of earnings and pension.
Starting a sepsis compensation claim is straightforward. To begin your claim, contact us on Freephone 0345 357 9645 or online for a free, no obligation chat. Click here to learn more about our team and the high level of expertise in your area of injury.
After an initial consultation phone call, your specialist solicitor will come to visit you in your home – or a location at your convenience – to discuss the details of your claim. This will include information such as how your injuries occurred and the impact that your injuries have on your day-to-day life, so they can understand your needs and advise you on the compensation you may be able to claim.
Our legal expert will also use this as an opportunity to talk you through the process of making a claim and to explain your funding options and any relevant paperwork for making your claim.
From that point on, your solicitor will pursue your claim on your behalf. The next step will be to contact the defendant’s insurers and to start gathering evidence to support your claim, liaising with medical experts and healthcare providers to access your records. Your solicitor will keep you updated as your claim progresses and at every step of the process.
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If you have a question that is not listed above, please visit our FAQs page. Alternatively, please call our specialist team on Freephone 0345 357 9645 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation chat.
