hospital gave me gastroenteritis

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:42

Xordium said:
So would hospitals be allowed to refuse admission to relatives who did not conform with infection control policy?

That's a bit difficult. I'd like to say yes, but I'd say with the consent of the patient, noted on records, it could be overridden... they'd have to be walked to the patients area and surfaces wiped down afterwards... It seems a great deal of trouble so I would hope that it would be very uncommon.

Then again I don't set policy for hospitals, so I don't know all the ins and outs. You do sound as if you're trying to trap me into an argument though...

prashantnew · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:44

Negligence would be you having pancreatitis and them discharging you with a diagnosis of food poisoning.

Had you caught food poisning from say a food chain, then perhaps you may have a case for negligence? Even then, I'd say it'd be pretty damn hard to prove where you got it from.

Xordium · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:46

The Halk said:
That's a bit difficult. I'd like to say yes, but I'd say with the consent of the patient, noted on records, it could be overridden... they'd have to be walked to the patients area and surfaces wiped down afterwards... It seems a great deal of trouble so I would hope that it would be very uncommon.

Then again I don't set policy for hospitals, so I don't know all the ins and outs. You do sound as if you're trying to trap me into an argument though...

No, I am merely making a very valid point. One relative with norovirus can infect a large number of staff and patients if they do not obey simple infection control protocols. You can not hold a hospital responsible for something that you are then not willing to give them control over. Either they are wholly allowed to deal with the problem or they are not. If they are not allowed to deal with the problem then you can not be punitive when they then fall short of your unreachable goals.

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:50

Xordium said:
No, I am merely making a very valid point. One relative with norovirus can infect a large number of staff and patients if they do not obey simple infection control protocols. You can not hold a hospital responsible for something that you are then not willing to give them control over. Either they are wholly allowed to deal with the problem or they are not. If they are not allowed to deal with the problem then you can not be punitive when they then fall short of your unreachable goals.

I don't think you'll find that I've said that all infections can be prevented - I've already said you can only mitigate risk. However where a hospital is found lacking in hygiene then something needs to be done.

smit101 · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:52

LOAM said:
The coffee on the canteen was also to hot, sue.

Why was it only for hot Sue? Just because she's hot doesn't mean she should be entitled to drink all of the coffee! :mad:

Deleted member 77746 · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:53

hospital gave me gastroenteritis

Can you prove it?

Xordium · 22 Apr 2012 at 12:55

The Halk said:
I don't think you'll find that I've said that all infections can be prevented - I've already said you can only mitigate risk. However where a hospital is found lacking in hygiene then something needs to be done.

You rightly expect them to maintain excellent standard but at the same time are advocating a practice that would see all those excellent standards comprised on a daily basis with no control.

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:00

Xordium said:
You rightly expect them to maintain excellent standard but at the same time are advocating a practice that would see all those excellent standards comprised on a daily basis with no control.

I thought as much. You're trying to argue with me by putting words in my mouth.

smit101 · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:04

The Halk said:
I thought as much. You're trying to argue with me by putting words in my mouth.

I just hope for your health's sake that those words aren't infected with pathogenic organisms!

SexyGreyFox · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:08

AFAIK I'm the only person here who works in a Trust Clinical Negligence department however I think there is another who works for Claimants Solicitors.

Let's get some facts straight about Hospital Acquired Infections:
The majority are community based, in other words they are caught outside the hospital.
We have a massive team of Infection Control experts who do their very best to try and control HAI's but it is a massive struggle.
Kwerk hit on a point in another thread that got locked and I wanted to give a nod in approval.
He said that A&E is a department full of contagious illnesses of all kinds and people are sitting next to each other - something I've never thought about but so true.

So the best infection control would be for a patient to come to A&E/hospital and immediately 'Barrier Nursed' - in other words put in their own room with staff assigned to them who wear protective clothes and then are put through a series of pathology tests before they are let out into the communal ward.
Not very practical is it and would cost a fortune?
And of course no visitors - EVER - unless they put on protective clothing, masks and instructed never to touch a patient.
Again how practical is that and once again would cost a fortune?

OP, if you came in and went away with a serious illness that put you out of work for a while and ruined your life for a while then I would say go and pursue it (I have letters all the time with such cases).
However, you were ill for around 6 hours and you lived to come on here to post about it.
At the very least ring the Hospital and put a complaint in, this way it will get put on DATIX and DATIX complaints & incidents are reviewed all the time.

Xordium · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:10

The Halk said:
I thought as much. You're trying to argue with me by putting words in my mouth.

Well that's a convenient cop out isn't it.

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:14

Xordium said:
Well that's a convenient cop out isn't it.

Your attempts to argue would be much more efficient if you didn't wait for me to post before fabricating what I'd said. Just pretend I've said whatever it is you find easiest to argue against and go for it.

bazaarboy · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:22

Dimple said:
AFAIK I'm the only person here who works in a Trust Clinical Negligence department however I think there is another who works for Claimants Solicitors.

Let's get some facts straight about Hospital Acquired Infections:
The majority are community based, in other words they are caught outside the hospital.
We have a massive team of Infection Control experts who do their very best to try and control HAI's but it is a massive struggle.
Kwerk hit on a point in another thread that got locked and I wanted to give a nod in approval.
He said that A&E is a department full of contagious illnesses of all kinds and people are sitting next to each other - something I've never thought about but so true.

So the best infection control would be for a patient to come to A&E/hospital and immediately 'Barrier Nursed' - in other words put in their own room with staff assigned to them who wear protective clothes and then are put through a series of pathology tests before they are let out into the communal ward.
Not very practical is it and would cost a fortune?
And of course no visitors - EVER - unless they put on protective clothing, masks and instructed never to touch a patient.
Again how practical is that and once again would cost a fortune?

OP, if you came in and went away with a serious illness that put you out of work for a while and ruined your life for a while then I would say go and pursue it (I have letters all the time with such cases).
However, you were ill for around 6 hours and you lived to come on here to post about it.
At the very least ring the Hospital and put a complaint in, this way it will get put on DATIX and DATIX complaints & incidents are reviewed all the time.

Dimple, could you give us an idea of how many cases you deal with? and if litigation (or attempted litigation) is on the rise?

we still don't know from the OP just how much he suffered from this potential hospital acquired infection, but rather the poignant issue is that a member of staff allueded that "we gave it to you"
So, is he considering legal action because he thinks he can win compensation, or because he has actually suffered?

Xordium · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:29

The Halk said:
Your attempts to argue would be much more efficient if you didn't wait for me to post before fabricating what I'd said. Just pretend I've said whatever it is you find easiest to argue against and go for it.

I just pointed out the issue was a great deal more complicated than people appreciate and one mechanism that would greatly improve a hospital's ability to control is something you would deny them:

"but I'd say with the consent of the patient, noted on records, it could be overridden... "

You would happy for one patient to waive the policy for one of their visitors when that person could then be a risk for the whole hospital. And that is the kind of stuff hospitals have to contend with and we wonder why HAI are such a problem along with a whole host of other more pertinent issues in this regard. The clampdown on HIA requires broad guidance and governmental control of some practices wholescale all the way down to personal responsibility.

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:32

Xordium said:
I just pointed out the issue was a great deal more complicated than people appreciate and one mechanism that would greatly improve a hospital's ability to control is something you would deny them:

"but I'd say with the consent of the patient, noted on records, it could be overridden... "

You would happy for one patient to waive the policy for one of their visitors when that person could then be a risk for the whole hospital. And that is the kind of stuff hospitals have to contend with and we wonder why HAI are such a problem along with a whole host of other more pertinent issues in this regard. The clampdown on HIA requires broad guidance and governmental control of some practices wholescale all the way down to personal responsibility.

The Halk said:
I thought as much. You're trying to argue with me by putting words in my mouth.

Xordium · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:33

Those are your words not mine.

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:34

I'm joining in a discussion, you want an argument. I'm not going to have an argument just to please you.

Xordium · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:37

The Halk said:
I'm joining in a discussion, you want an argument. I'm not going to have an argument just to please you.

Right so when someone joins in a discussion and agrees with you that's fine but when someone joins in a discussion and asks you a valid question that nullifies some of what you are saying then they are trying to have an argument. :rolleyes:

Castiel · 22 Apr 2012 at 13:53

Xordium said:
Right so when someone joins in a discussion and agrees with you that's fine but when someone joins in a discussion and asks you a valid question that nullifies some of what you are saying then they are trying to have an argument.

Do you not join a discussion with an argument?.....

The Halk · 22 Apr 2012 at 14:00

Xordium said:
Right so when someone joins in a discussion and agrees with you that's fine but when someone joins in a discussion and asks you a valid question that nullifies some of what you are saying then they are trying to have an argument.

I think you'd need to be using what I actually said rather than snippets and implications for it to be a discussion, you could even be arguing against me.

However what you're doing is having an argument by finding reasons to disagree with me, by putting words in my mouth.

I'm not interested.