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MRSA Compensation Claim
What is MRSA?
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Am I at risk of contracting MRSA?
People most at risk of contracting MRSA
What are the symptoms of MRSA?
Signs and Symptoms of an MRSA Infection
News Stories about MRSA
News published by Thompsons Solicitors about MRSA
Can I make a Compensation Claim if I contract MRSA?
MRSA Compensation Claims
Making a Compensation Claim
How to start a claim for MRSA Compensation
MRSA infection is a frequent occurrence among hospital patients, many of whom suffer significant long term consequences.
MRSA is a bacterium belonging to the Staphylococcus aureus family. MRSA is an abbreviation of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and was given this name because it is not treatable with methicillin (a type of penicillin) and other popular antibiotics. MRSA is now sometimes referred to, particularly in the press as a "superbug".
Humans can carry MRSA on the surface of their skin and in their noses without coming to any harm; however if the MRSA gets into the body or the blood stream through a break in the skin, infections can start to develop.
MRSA is still treatable but it has to be treated with an antibiotic to which it is not resistant. High doses over a long period of time are normally required.
People most at risk from contracting MRSA are people who have:
The vast majority of people who contract MRSA do so whilst in a hospital, nursing home or similar establishment.
In the majority of cases MRSA infects the skin causing symptoms such as abscesses, boils, carbuncles, cellulitis, impetigo and styes.
If the MRSA manages to get into the bloodstream; however, the symptoms can be much more severe including blood poisoning, meningitis, pneumonia or septic shock. MRSA can prove to be fatal.
In the past we have published news stories about MRSA on our website. Follow the links below to read a selection of them or to read all of our news stories, visit our News Desk.
1st August 2006 - MRSA or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
14th September 2006 - Thompsons supports MRSA charity
You can also read an article written by Thompsons Solicitors about MRSA.
Although legal claims for MRSA compensation are often difficult to win, you can secure compensation if you can show that the infection was negligently contracted or that there was a delay in treating the infection once diagnosed.
It is generally more difficult to succeed in an MRSA compensation claim if it was negligent care that led to you contracting the infection, as you have to prove that the Hospital failed to comply with a reasonable standard of infection control measures and that that was how you caught it. For example, if you are going into Hospital to have an elective procedure, and you were swabbed on admission to check you were not already carrying MRSA, and you are admitted to a ward where there are a number of patients with MRSA, if you also subsequently contract the infection, you are likely to succeed in a claim for MRSA compensation. This is because the Hospital should have placed the patients with MRSA in isolation rooms, and you can show that you most likely caught the infection from them. It is sometimes hard to find the evidence to prove this.
Another difficulty in these types of cases is proving the time and place of acquisition of the MRSA, particularly in a patient with several hospital admissions, or where there was an emergency admission.
Obvious breaches in Hospital policy (e.g. failure to wash hands prior to performing a surgical procedure), often give rise to MRSA compensation claims, but the difficulty is proving this, as it is not something that will have been written in your medical notes.
Hospitals are now more careful than they were, not least because of new statutory guidelines for good practice laid down by the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections introduced under the Health Act 2006. If you are concerned about hygiene in your hospital or clinic it is a good idea to keep a diary noting what you see, and ask your visitors to do the same. This may be useful evidence if you do get an infection, or may help other patients who want to claim if they get an infection.
Cases where MRSA has been diagnosed but there has been a clear delay in making the diagnosis or starting treatment with the right antibiotics are more likely to succeed.
Therefore whilst MRSA is common and in many cases non–preventable, successful MRSA compensation claims can be achieved where there is good evidence of failure to adhere to the infection control policy, or delay in treating the infection.
If you or anyone you know has suffered from any form of clinical negligence, telephone us now for accurate claim advice.
There are strict time limits in place to make any injury claim. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.
Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all matters relating to clinical negligence and will be able to advise you as to whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Their specialist clinical negligence lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.
Telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms.