Justice for family after negligent treatment leaves woman permanently disabled requiring 24-hour care

Our client was just 29 years old when she was left with severe brain damage, after being allowed to slip into a diabetic coma as a patient of Derriford hospital.

She was admitted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth prior to the pandemic and at the time she had a longstanding history of type 1 diabetes. The hospital was well aware of her condition and initially treated her on admission with an insulin infusion.

However, when she was referred to the surgical assessment unit for further investigation, a disastrous error had significant consequences. She remained on her insulin infusion, but before bed she was allowed to administer her usual dose of insulin (Levemir) at around 10pm.

During the night, the ward was understaffed, and they failed to check on her blood glucose levels whilst she slept. Unfortunately, the devastating error went unnoticed until 7am the next morning when she was discovered unresponsive with a blood glucose reading of 1.7 (the normal range for someone with type 1 diabetes should be between 5 to 9).

Despite attempts to wake her, she unfortunately remained unresponsive and was transferred to intensive care. The hospital was able to save her, but sadly, she was left with a profound hypoglycaemic brain injury.

She remained as a patient at the hospital, being transferred between Derriford and the Plym Neuro Rehab Unit for nearly 18 months, during which time further negligent care left her with a broken wrist and a broken heel.

Our client sadly passed away as a result of the general decline in her health, the catalyst for which was the poor treatment she received from the hospital.

Whilst the hospital has apologised for the failings in the care and catastrophic injuries which they caused; the events can never be undone.

The loss of a family member or loved one is always traumatic to deal with. Especially if the death was not expected and particularly if it was due to negligent medical care.

Although we could never make up for the loss our client’s family has experienced, we were able to reach a settlement out of Court for her family.

If you or a loved one have experienced medical negligence, our compassionate and sensitive Medical Negligence experts, who have a wealth of experience, are here to help.

Please get in touch for a free, no-obligation consultation with us by calling 01752 292204 or emailing clientservices@wolferstans.com.