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113 Medical Negligence Cases To Cost the State €1.4 Billion

  • 08-11-2018 3:50pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 6,367 ✭✭✭


    This and an average of €20,000 for whiplash, half a million to somebody for falling off a Luas while Luas surfing. We are all paying for the massive compensation payments, both for actual injury and “emotional” injury through higher costs for every product and service.

    The untouchable legal profession remains unreformed and self regulated even after recommendations going back decades and scathing criticism of exorbitant legal costs from the Troika.

    I have every sympathy for those who have suffered through accident or medical negligence but I believe a large percentage of compensation moneys paid out are due to excessive legal fees and fraudulent claims.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,484 ✭✭✭Allinall


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    This and an average of €20,000 for whiplash, half a million to somebody for falling off a Luas while Luas surfing. We are all paying for the massive compensation payments, both for actual injury and “emotional” injury through higher costs for every product and service.

    The untouchable legal profession remains unreformed and self regulated even after recommendations going back decades and scathing criticism of exorbitant legal costs from the Troika.

    I have every sympathy for those who have suffered through accident or medical negligence but I believe a large percentage of compensation moneys paid out are due to excessive legal fees and fraudulent claims.

    That’s an average of €123.9 million per case.

    I call bs


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,395 ✭✭✭✭kneemos




  • Registered Users Posts: 5,745 ✭✭✭Deebles McBeebles


    Half a million for Luas surfing eh? Seems like a valid career choice all of a sudden.


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    if people don't want to subject themselves to the possibility of human errors, they could just avoid hospitals


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,367 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    if people don't want to subject themselves to the possibility of human errors, they could just avoid hospitals

    I suppose if people don’t want to subject themselves to the possibility of stupid comments they could avoid Boards.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,158 ✭✭✭facehugger99


    If you want a good laugh, have a look at the recommded payouts for injuries in the Book of Quantum - https://www.piab.ie/eng/forms-guidelines/Book-of-Quantum.pdf

    €33,500 for a "minor" sprain to the upper arm.

    A moderate fracture to the humerus with full recovery? Here's €64,500.

    Did you have an allergic reaction which caused some minor itching to your hand? Here's €14,000 for your troubles.

    Next time your wondering why your motor premium is so high you can find all the answers in here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,825 ✭✭✭LirW


    I wonder if anyone here ever read up about some medical negligence cases? The stuff is often proper nightmare fuel.

    I read for example about a woman who was stitched back together imporperly after birth and the scarring was so bad that she was in constant pain, couldn't be intimate anymore with her partner and the hospital told her off and refused to take any responsibility.
    It took years to resolve her case and the payout was a few hundred k, but she first got her injury fixed with that money.

    I understand the frustration that people with next to nothing get big payouts bit I feel that the vast majority of medical negligence cases are legit.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,717 ✭✭✭YFlyer


    Allinall wrote: »
    That’s an average of €123.9 million per case.

    I call bs

    British billion is not used anymore.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,484 ✭✭✭Allinall


    YFlyer wrote: »
    British billion is not used anymore.[/quote

    Used €1,400 Million in calculation


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,935 ✭✭✭TallGlass


    5k to some lad in prison that went on hunger strike as the prison didn't take him seriously or his complaints seriously. Complaints in prison, keyword. Prison. Not holiday camp. 5k for his distress. More compo than his victim got, I would bet.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,495 ✭✭✭Will I Am Not


    Not surprising if the reports of the high number of underqualified consultants in our hospitals are true.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,684 ✭✭✭✭Samuel T. Cogley


    TallGlass wrote: »
    5k to some lad in prison that went on hunger strike as the prison didn't take him seriously or his complaints seriously. Complaints in prison, keyword. Prison. Not holiday camp. 5k for his distress. More compo than his victim got, I would bet.


    Given what happened in Scotland over prison conditions I'm amazed we've not seen a huge number of claims from prisoners here, probably one of the reasons why such short sentances are being handed out in an effort to reduce over crowding and remove people from some of the older blocks that need refurbishment.


    We desperately need a new prison yet it's never talked about in the media (AFAIK).


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,395 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    YFlyer wrote: »
    British billion is not used anymore.

    A thousand million used to be a billion. Nine zeros.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,684 ✭✭✭✭Samuel T. Cogley


    Brit Billion was a million, million. Twelve zeros.

    Just waiting for the two zeros jokes about us talking about this.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,058 ✭✭✭✭RobbingBandit


    I'm going through a very difficult health journey at the moment which on the outside looking in is major malpractice and negligence on several sides however from my point of view I'd rather keep my foot/leg/ability to walk than sue the ****e out of ignorant blaise doctors and a ****e health system.

    What use is money if it costs you you're quality of life due to the system not willing or being able to listen to you, sometimes I think throwing money at these cases makes the wheel keep turning but when you are faced with a life altering situation that has to be done by the books then you are ****ed as it's their way or no way.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,395 ✭✭✭✭kneemos


    You hear about the odd case and think we'll sometimes mistakes get made. Never imagined there could be thousands of cases in the pipeline.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,717 ✭✭✭YFlyer


    Allinall wrote: »
    YFlyer wrote: »
    British billion is not used anymore.[/quote

    Used €1,400 Million in calculation

    You're out by 10 times.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,717 ✭✭✭YFlyer


    kneemos wrote: »
    A thousand million used to be a billion. Nine zeros.

    Still is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 43,017 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    Have you seen some of the states kids were left in for life over medical fcuk ups?

    I don't begrudge their parents a cent


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    This and an average of €20,000 for whiplash, half a million to somebody for falling off a Luas while Luas surfing. We are all paying for the massive compensation payments, both for actual injury and “emotional” injury through higher costs for every product and service.

    The untouchable legal profession remains unreformed and self regulated even after recommendations going back decades and scathing criticism of exorbitant legal costs from the Troika.

    I have every sympathy for those who have suffered through accident or medical negligence but I believe a large percentage of compensation moneys paid out are due to excessive legal fees and fraudulent claims.

    So you're complaining about compensation given to the victims of medical negligence and complaining about lawyers, but not complaining about the health service? And you're doing all of that without actually showing us the reason those people were awarded over a million each.

    Is this all in your head?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,606 ✭✭✭gctest50


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    ........

    I have every sympathy for those who have suffered through accident or medical negligence but I believe a large percentage of compensation moneys paid out are due to excessive legal fees and fraudulent claims.


    https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/junior-doctor-suspended-after-claims-he-was-a-danger-to-patients-is-not-an-isolated-case-judge-37503674.html.


    The judgment noted the doctor never previously worked in any paid capacity in any other hospital anywhere and two consultants said he did not meet the "most basic" standards of competence of doctors practising "at this very junior level".

    Some of his junior colleagues here said they witnessed "wild" clinical assessments by him, made without taking any history or examining a patient.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27 marthabarry


    Some claims are warranted and well deserved but some are ridiculous. Personal responsibility is gone out the window - someone else is always to blame!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,813 ✭✭✭Wesser


    Personal injury is different to medical negligence.

    Medical indemnity insurance now so expensive that unaffordable my most doctors who are not public employees.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Grayson wrote: »
    So you're complaining about compensation given to the victims of medical negligence and complaining about lawyers, but not complaining about the health service? And you're doing all of that without actually showing us the reason those people were awarded over a million each.

    Is this all in your head?

    It’s a cost to the state caused by incompetence, but what’s happening to the incompetent?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,813 ✭✭✭Noveight


    To pay out half a million to a woman who admitted liability was significant.

    It almost says "we were at fault for not protecting you from yourself."


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    gctest50 wrote: »
    https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/junior-doctor-suspended-after-claims-he-was-a-danger-to-patients-is-not-an-isolated-case-judge-37503674.html.


    The judgment noted the doctor never previously worked in any paid capacity in any other hospital anywhere and two consultants said he did not meet the "most basic" standards of competence of doctors practising "at this very junior level".

    Some of his junior colleagues here said they witnessed "wild" clinical assessments by him, made without taking any history or examining a patient.

    I have a relative who's a doctor in a hospital and has to testify at cases like that. He's basically testified against doctors and even against the HSE for avoidable mistakes.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Grayson wrote: »
    I have a relative who's a doctor in a hospital and has to testify at cases like that. He's basically testified against doctors and even against the HSE for avoidable mistakes.

    How do they get hired? Is there any probation? Why even need a court case?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,619 ✭✭✭erica74


    I think it's a bit unfair to lump medical negligence in with mickey mouse whiplash claims (not all whiplash claims are mickey mouse) and that muppet who fell off the luas.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,367 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    Grayson wrote: »
    So you're complaining about compensation given to the victims of medical negligence and complaining about lawyers, but not complaining about the health service? And you're doing all of that without actually showing us the reason those people were awarded over a million each.

    Is this all in your head?

    Did you read my post? I said I sympathize with those who suffered as a result of medical negligence or injury. However the amount of the claims is exaggerated because of excessive legal costs.

    For example in the army deafness claims over a third of the money paid out was in legal fees, despite them being pretty much copy and paste cases. I think that is excessive.
    Also many solicitors were found to have double charged on their fees, yet no action was ever taken.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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  • Registered Users Posts: 16,067 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    Did you read my post? I said I sympathize with those who suffered as a result of medical negligence or injury. However the amount of the claims is exaggerated because of excessive legal costs.

    For example in the army deafness claims over a third of the money paid out was in legal fees, despite them being pretty much copy and paste cases. I think that is excessive.
    Also many solicitors were found to have double charged on their fees, yet no action was ever taken.

    Have you gone through the cases that caused all the expense and actually come to that conclusion? Because if not, you're just someone with no evidence and an axe to grind. You'll actually pick the worse cases, the cases that the state paid the most on and say that there's a problem with the legal profession rather than with what caused those people to make a claim in the first place. The fact that you focused on the legal fees and even referenced the girl on the Luas shows that you don't give a damn about the people who had to make malpractice claims.


    How do they get hired? Is there any probation? Why even need a court case?

    It's not always court cases. Some are infront of the medical review panel (I can't remember what it's called).

    All you have to do to be hired as a doctor is be a doctor. It doesn't mean they're all good. Most are and the Irish Medical Council take the bad ones seriously. It's the reason that they have these reviews and can remove a license to practice. Unfortunately they have to make a mistake for it to get that far.

    It's not always bad doctors though. There's bad practice by good doctors. In the HIQA investigation into Savita's death they found over 20 points of failure. Some of those were just bad procedures that the staff followed. What made it worse was that the same situation had happened a few years beforehand in another hospital. The HSE brought in changes to prevent it happening again....in that hospital. They never implementation the changes elsewhere.

    Then there's the state of the HSE. It's relatively good overall but there's a severe lack of funding in certain areas. A&E is the most obvious. Lack of staff & beds cause accidents.


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