It’s a fact of life that as our parents reach old age it may be necessary to put them into care so they can be looked after properly and with the responsibility that elderly care requires. Unfortunately, there are instances when elderly people are not treated the way they should be and this can lead to serious problems with an elderly person’s mental and physical health.

If you or one of your relatives has experienced negligence or neglect in a care home or hospital then you may be entitled to medical negligence compensation. First you will need to make a formal complaint to the care home or hospital and see how they handle the situation. If nothing is done, or your complaint is overlooked then it’s time to speak to a solicitor who is skilled in the type of medical negligence case you are after – elderly negligence.

Cases of medical negligence in the care home can occur when the care for the elderly falls below what is expected. For example, when patients aren’t washed, fed or taken to the toilet properly, and when they aren’t supervised properly and then an accident happens. Other signs of neglect can include bedsores, welts, bruises and other signs of restraint.

There is an increased demand for carers nowadays as people are living far longer than they ever used to. Unfortunately, the majority of those who do work in care homes haven’t had the correct amount of training or not fully-qualified to do so, and therefore medical negligence cases are more likely to happen. Carers need a thorough understanding of elderly people’s needs – their nutrition, each person’s individual medical records, and other important factors that a lot of care staff are unfortunately not fully trained in.

It can be difficult to know whether your parents or elderly friend or relative is experiencing medical negligence in the care home. Often elderly people are vulnerable and too frightened to speak out if they are being treated unfairly, and these cases are often overlooked.

Medical negligence in care homes can include psychological negligence as well as physical negligence. Unfortunately, care home complaints are very common, and many claims are going through because of care home negligence – in fact, 60,000 complaints are being received by councils regarding care home negligence. This isn’t to say the vast majority of care homes are reputable with fully-trained staff, it’s just the odd few giving these care homes a bad name.

The UK healthcare system is regarded as one of the best in the world, and it should be, professionals work hard to make it the best there is around – and, it’s free. There are care homes that are run by private organisations and this can be where the standards of care for the elderly tend to slip. As mentioned earlier, it’s only a small percentage of these care homes giving the others a bad name.

If you or a relative think you have a complaint about the way you’ve been treated in a care home, you should speak to the care home itself first and see if anything can be resolved, if not, it’s time to speak to a specialist medical negligence solicitor to see if you have a claim.

Clair O\’Hara is writing on behalf of Pearson Hinchliffe, specialist medical negligence solicitors specialising in medical negligence for the elderly.

Clair O\’Hara is writing on behalf of Pearson Hinchliffe (http://www.ph-medicalnegligence.co.uk), specialist medical negligence solicitors specialising in medical negligence for the elderly.

Author Bio: Clair O\’Hara is writing on behalf of Pearson Hinchliffe, specialist medical negligence solicitors specialising in medical negligence for the elderly.

Category: Legal
Keywords: medical negligence solicitors, medical negligence, care home medical negligence