Compensation for negligent treatment resulting in diabetic coma

RWK Goodman’s Katie Parr secured £800 compensation for a 20 year old woman, A, who suffered hypoglycaemia as a result of the Trust’s negligence.

A had suffered from an eating disorder for a number of years and attended Frenchay Hospital Accident and Emergency Department as she was unable to stand due to low blood sugar. The Trust recorded that she had suffered from a severe anorexic collapse with ischaemia.

A was kept in overnight and discharged the following morning on the basis that her blood sugar had recovered to a safe level. The following day, however, the client was found unconscious and taken to hospital by ambulance, with her blood sugar again at dangerously low levels. The hospital found that the client had suffered acute liver failure and she was kept in intensive care for a week and on the liver ward for a further three weeks.

The Trust admitted liability for negligence in that the client should not have been discharged from hospital and this caused her to suffer hypoglycaemia.