Bed Sores Ruin a British Couple’s Caribbean Cruise

Recently, a British father was left in a dirty hospital on the brink of death following a Caribbean cruise and he claims he was forced to suffer from bed sores (also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers) as he was tied to his bed.

Cruises through the Caribbean Islands are never cheap and ending up in a dirty hospital with bed sores is not on any cruise passenger’s wish list. Married couple David and Liz Ramsay had saved the thousands of dollars needed for this unique experience but unfortunately David was hit with pneumonia and had to be admitted to a Barbados hospital.

Pressure sores to several parts of the body

His wife said the hospital was dirty and David had been strapped into his bed for three days. He ended up suffering from pressure sores to his foot, hand and the bottom part of his back.

David is now back in the U.K. and undergoing treatment for his injuries. The worst was yet to come as the couple were landed with a bill of £19,000 for the treatment in the Barbados hospital! If a couple is able to prove that such injuries occur due to hospital negligence, then they will be entitled to claim Pressure Sores Compensation.

Even though this shocking incident didn’t take place in the U.K., it’s a reminder that pressure ulcers or bed sores are the most common injury both in and outside a hospital that with a little care and adequate supervision of a patient can be prevented. In a recent report in 2016, one in every twenty people who enter hospital for a period of time develops a preventable bed sore of some type or another. Because this happens the NHS has to face a yearly bill of £5.3 billion to treat this unwanted and unnecessary affliction.

Who is responsible for preventing a pressure sore?

It is the caregiver’s responsibility to ensure that anyone at risk of developing pressure sores receives the care they need to ensure they don’t get into this situation. The care giver should undertake a risk assessment of anyone under his or her care and determine the level of care that is needed to keep their patients pressure sore free. If a nurse or caregiver fails to carry out appropriate risks assessment and a patient develop pressure sores, and then he or she has a right to claim Bed Sores Compensation.

Of course, not all patients who are at risk of developing pressure sores are in NHS or private facilities. A fair number are at home and are being cared for by either a family member or a paid care worker.

A survey of pressure sore numbers estimates that the number of people who develop these sores every year across the care sector is around 700,000. That number includes people at home. The people who are most at risk are over 75 years of age, but as the Barbados story shows it can happen to anyone who is much younger than that, especially if they are incapable of doing anything about their situation by themselves.

As far as British hospitals are concerned, nearly 190,000 patients develop pressure sores every year. It has been estimated that it costs around £4,000 extra to treat the problems caused by pressure sores, so there is a strong financial incentive to deal with the issue before it becomes a reality rather than try and treat sores after they develop. A patient can make a pressure or Bed Sores Claim if they have sufficient medical knowledge and able to prove that sores could have been prevented with adequate care.

Cost must take into account private lawsuits

The full cost of dealing with the issue of pressure sores also has to take into account private civil lawsuits that may be brought on the behalf of victims. Where it can be proved that negligence is involved, either patients themselves or family members are perfectly within their rights to Claim Pressure Sore Compensation when pressure sores have caused pain and suffering.

If you, or a member of your family, have been needlessly exposed to the scourge of pressure sores, you should contact one of our personal injury attorneys at Curtis Legal to discuss your circumstances and the possibility of taking legal action and right to claim Bedsores Compensation.