Fosters Secure £180,000 Compensation via Virtual Round Table Meeting
Fosters’ Medical Negligence team have recently obtained an £180,000 settlement, via a ‘virtual’ Round Table Meeting (RTM), for a client who suffered severe loss of sight in her left eye following negligent treatment.
Our client, who was 76 at the time of the incident, had a history of Dry Macular Degeneration. In March 2016 she attended an appointment with a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon following a sudden deterioration in her vision. The consultant failed to correctly identify our client’s condition had progressed to Wet Macular Degeneration (WMD) and therefore failed to arrange urgent treatment by way of Lucentis injections. Our client was seen again two months later, at which point the correct diagnosis of WMD was made and injections administered shortly after, but the effectiveness of the treatment is greatly reduced by any delay, which proved to be the case with our client.
Our client’s case was that she suffered irreversible visual loss, impairing her depth perception, and resulting in the loss of her driving licence as a direct consequence of the delay in diagnosis and treatment.
Following the defendants denial of liability, court proceedings were issued but the trial was not due to take place until November 2021. However, both sides agreed to try and resolve the dispute by way of a virtual RTM and following lengthy discussions, a settlement for £180,000 was agreed.
David Gabell, AvMA Panel member and Head of Fosters’ Medical Negligence team, who acted for the claimant commented: “Despite the challenges that working remotely poses, both sides were able to utilise the technology available to sit down, albeit virtually, in the hope of reaching an agreement without the need for a trial.
“This case is an excellent example of how ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) can be used to settle complex medical negligence claims far quicker, and with significantly reduced costs, than a trial. Both we and our client are delighted with the settlement which has been a real team effort.”
Our experienced layers act for many clients with a wide variety of claims in all forms of medical negligence and David Gabell is one of only three AvMA panel members in Norfolk. If you believe you have experienced sub-standard treatment we would be happy to discuss your potential claim on a free of charge, no obligation basis. We can be contacted on 01603 620508 or Freephone 0800 731 8539.
This article was produced on the 25th September 2020 by our Medical Negligence & Inquests team for information purposes only and should not be construed or relied upon as specific legal advice.