Hospital A&E Department Negligence Causes Death

We were instructed by the son and personal representative of the deceased’s estate to pursue a medical negligence claim following her admission to the emergency department of Northampton General Hospital in October 2021.

Background

The deceased was living independently and was the full-time carer for her elderly, bed-bound mother. She had a complex medical history, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure but was otherwise leading an active, family orientated lifestyle with her children and grandchildren. She was admitted to hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, and an initial diagnosis of a lower respiratory tract infection was made.

Despite clear signs of rapid deterioration, including a significant rise in her National Early Warning Score to a critical level, her condition was not appropriately escalated or managed and she remained in the acute assessment unit of the emergency department. Over the following two days, there were failures to adequately monitor, escalate and treat her deteriorating condition, and she was not transferred to critical care until two days after admission.

Tragically, she died shortly after transfer. The claim focused on missed opportunities for earlier intervention and escalation, which ultimately led to a fatal outcome.

How we helped

The deceased’s family received a Serious Incident Investigation Report which identified concerns regarding the care provided. Following an internal investigation supported by expert evidence in Accident & Emergency Medicine and Cardiology, the hospital trust admitted breaches of duty, including a failure to escalate the deceased to Critical Care in response to her deterioration. Crucially, the Defendant also accepted that, on the balance of probabilities, the deceased would have survived had appropriate care been provided.

The Defendant initially made a low offer of compensation to the family in an attempt to settle their case.

The Claimant then instructed us to take over conduct of the claim and we applied our specialist expertise to thoroughly review the evidence, quantify the losses arising from the death and prepare a robust valuation of the claim. This detailed preparation enabled us to effectively challenge the Defendant’s initial low offer of compensation and demonstrate the true value of the claim.

Through strategic negotiation and careful presentation of evidence, the matter was settled at £50,000, roughly five times more than the initial offer made by the Defendant to the deceased’s family initially bringing the claim to a successful conclusion in 2025.

This case highlights the importance of having a knowledgeable and experienced legal advisor when bringing a medical negligence claim. Such claims are often complex, emotionally challenging and heavily dependent on expert evidence and careful preparation. We were able to guide the family sensitively through every stage of the process, navigate the legal and medical complexities, and secure accountability for the failures in care, achieving a significantly improved outcome on their behalf.