Doctors have been issued with new guidance on diagnosing meningitis to help minimise the growing cost of lawsuits facing those who do not spot the disease in patients.
Serious repercussions from the failure to diagnose meningitis include brain damage, disability and even death. These complications lead to huge court cases from the families of those affected, totalling a much as £6.8 million.
The issue has been highlighted after an inquest last week concluded that a 25-year-old woman died from the disease after a “breakdown in communication” between her doctors. The woman was denied antibiotics that would have saved her, and died just 14 hours after being admitted to hospital.
The guidance on diagnosing meningitis is being issued as of 1 August by the Medical Defence Union. The Union represents doctors who have been accused of clinical negligence. Settlements for this type of case are among the most expensive to the NHS. The cost of paying compensation in such cases has totalled £19 million since 1998. Several involved payouts of over a million and one family received £6.8 million after their baby was misdiagnosed.