Which is more important?

[tigwig]

If you were in a situation of complaining to the NHS about gross negligence that caused the death of your mum and were told you could go down the route of the healthcare commission which would hopefully mean those responsible would get their comeuppance and it wouldn't happen again or you could involve solicitors and sue them to get compensation what would you go for? A big payout or get the so called health professional sacked? Be honest!

[perigra]

I work for the nhs and i'd go for the money.
if the individual responsible is sacked another idiot (which the nhs is full of) will take their place.

[redcrx]

id go for whatever had the best outcome for future patients so that hoepfully no-one would go through the same heartbreak.

Money taken from the NHS will just increase the burdon on them but of course there would be no reason for you not to go through the legal route and then donate the money back to a health care cause.

You need to decide what outcome youd like, a full explanation that may see changes within the NHS or a payout that yes may make your family's life different but has no effect on the care that people like your mumreceive.

[Drisgirl]

I personally would go down the avenue of the same thing never happening to another family again.Without any shadow of a doubt.

Money -pah -surely nothing could ever compensate for the loss of a loved one -but trying to make a difference IMO would.

[tigwig]

it really is a moral dilemma. Of course no amount of money could make up for what has happened but it could offer a tiny bit of happiness and financial security for the family but if we choose this route it looks like all we are bothered about is money when we want the person responsible sacked too

[Drisgirl]

Aww tigwig -really at the end of the day all you want is justice.
My children are in a similar situation and believe me we know where the person lives and there is going to be a courtcase but none of us even in the darkest hours have thought to exact personal revenge.My children will obviously 'benefit' financially through this but all they want is their day in court -not to do a 'Jeremy Kyle' but to sit there and let her see the people who have been robbed of their loved one and to see the perpetrator brought to justice.
My kids have already had money and its just sitting there -they are still scrimping away cos they dont care for that -they are only focused on justice.
Thats what I would go for -i'm sorry for your loss -truly -its dreadful when its at someone elses hands.

[tigwig]

Drisgirl if you don't mind me asking what happened in your children's case? Have they successfully sued the NHS?

[gina32]

i was in exactly the same position many years ago when my mam died, although the money side didnt even occur to me, i went all the way with the nhs and i got nowhere it seemed to me that the "panel" had already decided on the outcome before id even set foot inside the room, no answer i know but which one do you feel is best?

[LoftyLottie]

Compensation wouldn't enter my mind, but I would strive until the end of my days to get the people responsible brought to justice by whatever means - fair or foul!

[tigwig]

if I am been completely honest I want the money because I think we deserve to have some happiness after everything we have been through and as I have already said, money can not make up for our loss but it would make me happier than what I am now but I also want the people involved to be sacked too

[LoftyLottie]

I would add though that although I might strive I doubt whether I would get anywhere. They stick together like glue when confronted and challenged and even when you go through all the formal procedures you don't get anywhere. They look after their own regardless of guilt - my conscience wouldn't let me do that!

[LoftyLottie]

To be honest though tigwig going through solicitors for compensation is a long drawn out affair which can be harrowing and very stressful. It could be years before you get any money. I don't think I could handle that after a death of a loved one which has brought you so much stress and heartache already.

[Drisgirl]

O tigwig -I have spoken about it on here so i dont want people to get bored but their dad was killed 3 months ago at the age of 50 by a woman driving a horsebox dangerously.It wasnt NHS BUT he was killed by someone -same result and I can assure you the money doesnt bring you any cold comfort -its just needless money as far as my children are concerned.
All they want is justice simple as that -they arent baying for her blood or even talking to anyone about it.

[LoftyLottie]

I think Drisgirl is right to the extent that I might even resent the money. Don't forget if you accept compensation you will forfeit your right to bring any case against the NHS on this matter ever again.

[Drisgirl]

Just to concur with what LoftyLottie said there -even the simple process they have gone through just now- and there are more legal/money issues to deal with- completely drained them emotionally.

The only nugget of advice I can give is find out the daily newspaper in your area or even nationally who have gripes with the NHS and they will sink their teeth into it.
We have a local paper here with a large readership and they always carry NHS stories and they get results.

[Lucy Thomas]

It infuriates me that parents of babies who die in hospital sue the hospital FOR MONEY.

For God's sake, how can you put a price on a child.

I agree that MAYBE someone needs to be held to account but disciplinary or legal action should suffice.

[LoftyLottie]

I agree about getting the press involved Drisgirl. I nearly did that myself (different circumstances), but decided in the end that I couldn't cope with the stress of press publicity for our family. We are quite private people. However, if you can cope with it, involving the press often really works.

[sense4all]

I would like an honest personal apology from the culprit- then I'd probably leave it at that. However in this current litigous society, I doubt I would ever get it, as it would be against legal advice to do so! I would want to know that the culprit had been affected by their actions, but if it was a fly by night career crawler ( and we all know they are out there ) I would take them for every penny!

[tigwig]

the person responsible for the death is a long serving Professor at the hospital and his whole obnoxious attitude and refusal to comment until the chief exec got involved has appalled us and added to our grief, there is also several other issues of negligence he is not responsible for which all were important factors in contributing to my mums death

[bednobs]

so i take it you have already exhauseted the nhs complaints procedure?
the corrct procedure is now to have you case reviewed by the health care commission. However, if the NHS have investigated your complaint, i dont think the healthcare commission overturn a huge amount of decisions. if you go down the solicitors route for compensation then whatever money you get will be at the expense of other patients/services and i garuntee it wont make you feel any better about the ddeath of your mum. What if the negligence happened because the hospital were cutting corners because they'd had to pay out so much in compensation to other families? your sueing them could make matters much worse for other people!
your two choices are false choices anyway
1) what makes you think youll get a "big" payout?
2)what makes you think the person will be sacked?

[tigwig]

I don't think I will necessarily get a big payout or get the professor sacked I only said that is what I would like. The negligence wasn't caused by cutting corners because of lack of funds it was a huge mistake made by this person over several months, she had a 'nodule' that was found 2 years ago on her lung and had scans etc every few months that came back fine, her pain worsened and GP's sent her away until she was so ill she ended up in hospital to be told she had cancer and it could have been cured if something had been done about it when it was originally found. On top of all this her bowel then perforated a week later and A&E failed to spot this and treated her for constipation, consequently she had to have emergency surgery in the middle of the night and was told she wouldn't come round,she did but because her wounds wer so big they never healed in time for her to have chemo which could have given her longer. She died within 4 months of diagnosis and another doctor sent us reports of when this 'nodule' was first found and how it changed over the months, the last report said it no longer looked like a nodule it looked like something more sinister and had this been investigated? We have copies of these reports and all the time the professor told my mum there was no change so on these counts forgive me if I am a little bitter towards the NHS because after everything our family has been through it would be nice to have any amount of money so we could treat ourselves