Pressure Sores

If you or a member of your family has suffered pressure sores due to medical negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation. Our lawyers are specialists in all areas of personal injury, including medical negligence, so contact us for advice and assistance on 0800 0328511. Alternatively, you can complete an online compensation claim enquiry form.

What are Pressure Sores?
What Causes Pressure Sores?
Treatment for Pressure Sores
Making a Medical Negligence Claim
Pressure Sores Compensation
Expert Medical Negligence Lawyers

What are Pressure Sores?

Also known as bed sores, and sometimes pressure ulcers, pressure sores are areas of injured skin and tissue. They occur most often on areas of the body where the bones are not well covered by fat, for example the hips, lower back, shoulder blades and heels.

To begin with, the area may be red and sore, progressively becoming darker and more painful. If the pressure is not relieved to improve circulation and the sores treated effectively, they can become deeper and infected. Blisters can form and the skin and tissue may die and break down.

More severe pressure sores can develop into an open sore and may even cause damage to the muscle and bone beneath the skin.

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What Causes Pressure Sores?

Mostly, pressure sores occur in people who are confined to one position for long periods of time, for example wheelchair users, people suffering serious injuries or patients on bed rest. Sustained pressure on a particular part of the body disrupts the blood supply to the tissues, causing a sore to form.

It is estimated that, in around 95% of cases, pressure sores are avoidable through suitable levels of care. Nursing staff should ensure that a patient is not left in one position for several hours by turning them at regular intervals. It is also essential to ensure that patients are kept hydrated and well nourished to make them less vulnerable to pressure sores and infections.

If a patient is likely to be confined to their bed due to ill health for longer periods, special mattresses and cushions should be provided to lower the risk of pressure sores developing.

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Treatment for Pressure Sores

The pressure that has caused a pressure sore must be relieved, often by using padding or cushions to raise the affected area or distribute weight differently.

Also, the sore itself must be treated. This would usually involve cleaning and dressing the area and removing any dead tissue (sometimes surgically in severe cases). If a pressure sore becomes infected, it may have to be treated with topical or intravenous antibiotics.

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Making a Medical Negligence Claim

If you are unlucky enough to suffer from pressure sores and believe that this was caused by negligence on the part of medical staff, you may be in a position to make a personal injury claim for damages.

In every case, medical evidence will be required and it is necessary to show that the person you are making a claim against owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty of care (what is known in law as negligent), and that the injury you sustained was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of that negligence. In medical negligence cases this means that you have to prove that the treatment fell short of accepted standards of care.

At The Legal Line, we have access to experienced medical specialists who can act as expert witnesses in any court case. Your lawyer will be able to collate all of the necessary information and evidence to pursue your compensation claim to the best possible outcome.

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Pressure Sores Compensation

There are two elements to a compensation award. The first is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and what is known as loss of amenity. This is called general damages can include an award for your inability to do things after the medical negligence that you used to be able to do before (e.g. attend work, go swimming, walk the dog, etc). The award for loss of amenity can be for a short period after your injury or forever if that is what the medical evidence supports.

The second element of a compensation award is for your losses and expenses and is known as special damages. It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the problems you have suffered, so that these can be reclaimed. This award may also include the value of any additional care you have needed. The aim is to put you back in a position financially as if you had never developed pressure sores.

An award in a clinical negligence case is based on the negligent treatment effects that you would not have had if the treatment had been a success, in addition there will be information available on previous awards in similar cases. Very often, clinical negligence cases are settled out of court.

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Expert Medical Negligence Lawyers

The Legal Line's specialist personal injury lawyers have extensive experience in recovering compensation for victims of medical negligence, including claims for pressure sores. They can provide expert claim advice on all areas of making a claim and offer the assistance and guidance that you need.

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