Home > ANTHONY DANIEL MULHOLLAND v MEDWAY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (2015)
[2015] EWHC 268 (QB) |
QBD (Green J) 12/02/2015 |
NEGLIGENCE - PERSONAL INJURY - HEALTH |
ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS : BREACH OF DUTY OF CARE : CAUSATION : CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE : DELAY : DIAGNOSIS : DOCTORS : STANDARD OF CARE : TRIAGE NURSES |
Where there had been a three-month delay in diagnosing and treating a patient's brain tumour, a doctor in a hospital's accident and emergency department had not been negligent in relying on the professional opinion of others involved in the overall process of assessing the patient, since her decision-making had to be seen as one part of the chain of decision-making which routinely operated within the department. The standard of care owed by an accident and emergency doctor had to reflect the reality of what could reasonably be expected in a pressurised environment, without ready access to leading experts or time to conduct research. |