Tragic boxer Mike Towell's family files NHS complaint

I think if you box then you should consider having appropriate insurance that enables you to see head/brain specialists for scans. And if you believe you need a brain scan maybe don't fight.
 
Sasahara said:
Tragic boxer Mike Towell's family files NHS complaint.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-37816515

It's very sad he died, but.

Boxer breaks rules and doesn't disclose headaches before fighting and dies, family then want to sue the NHS for not giving him a scan 18 days before?

When will people just take responsibly for there own/relatives actions FFS.
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I tend to lean the other way on this occasion. I don't particularly like the way the NHS will do anything to avoid expensive procedures and it seems on this occasion they should have sent him for a scan. Yes it's hindsight, but they would have known he was a boxer.

Doctors recently created a list of 'non-value adding procedures' that were deemed unnecessary and one of them was fetal heart rate monitoring during a normal labour ffs.

At least with the US system they scan you as a matter of course (for the right insurance, of course!).
 
If he had died and repeated tried and complained of a persistent headache to get treatment and not boxed that would be fair enough, but that isn't the case.
 
Sasahara said:
If he had died and repeated tried and complained of a persistent headache to get treatment and not boxed that would be fair enough, but that isn't the case.
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Or you could argue that he only boxed because of the false sense of security brought about by the hospital telling him to go away and just get some aspirin from a GP.
 
He broke the rules end of. If boxers can't stick to them, boxing should be banned (I'm not in favour of that). The NHS isn't an insurance fund for the stupid and deceitful.

And we don't know if they even informed the NHS he was a boxer.

A scan many not have shown anything, but continuing to spa and then fight for 18 days certainly made it worse.
 
In the interview she also revealed that Towell was dehydrated during the bout, having been in a sauna, jogging in a sweat suit, in order to lose weight ahead of the official weigh-in.
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More likely, but blame the NHS for it :rolleyes:
 
Well knowing how Clinical Negligence works, it is my job, if the Casualty card shows that he told them what his profession was and why he had ended up in A&E I'd be very surprised if the Complaint didn't turn into a Pre Action Disclosure and then Letter Of Claim.

Not disclosing his headaches and A&E attendance to the boxing bosses is another matter.
 
Participant said:
At least with the US system they scan you as a matter of course (for the right insurance, of course!).
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problem is, in the US, because of the risk of getting sued for missing something with short term consequences - they probably overuse diagnostic tests... too much exposure to x-rays, too many CT scans etc.
 
Can't see a case here.

The doctor may well have been negligent in A&E
There was an injury

However causation is the problem - the actions of the doctor did not lead to his fatal injuries. The fact he chooses to be paid to be hit repetitively in the head for money might be considered slightly more important, especially if he was hiding symptoms.

You need negligence/injury and causation or it's a no go.
 
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dowie said:
problem is, in the US, because of the risk of getting sued for missing something ..................
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It's exactly the same here except our A&Es are so stretched that they miss doing stuff.
Our A&E is only supposed to handle around 200 patients a day but you can double that.
 
Minstadave said:
Can't see a case here.

The doctor may well have been negligent in A&E
There was an injury

However causation is the problem - the actions of the doctor did not lead to his fatal injuries. The fact he chooses to be paid to be hit repetitively in the head for money might be considered slightly more important, especially if he was hiding symptoms.

You need negligence/injury and causation or it's a no go.
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All it says is that the family have complained about his treatment prior to the fight, not that they're blaiming the NHS for his death. So if the A&E doctor was negligent as you say, they have cause for complaint.
 
Participant said:
All it says is that the family have complained about his treatment prior to the fight, not that they're blaiming the NHS for his death. So if the A&E doctor was negligent as you say, they have cause for complaint.
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You can complain about anything, you don't need a cause :)

Jumping the gun to presume this is the start of the litigation process but if it is I can't imagine it'd have legs.
 
Minstadave said:
You can complain about anything, you don't need a cause :)

Jumping the gun to presume this is the start of the litigation process but if it is I can't imagine it'd have legs.
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Well yes it can if it is proved on the A&E card that he/she told the Clinicians what his profession was, what the reason was to be in A&E and the headaches. I do see this all the time.
However, they shouldn't be able to claim for his death because he didn't offer that information to the boxing council.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
Well yes it can if it is proved on the A&E card that he/she told the Clinicians what his profession was, what the reason was to be in A&E and the headaches. I do see this all the time.
However, they shouldn't be able to claim for his death because he didn't offer that information to the boxing council.
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Being a boxer and having a headache doesn't automatically get you a head CT - he may have been assessed and managed appropriately - the complaints process will clarify that.

Even if somehow you could prove he should have a CT and that that CT would have shown something (unlikely but possible given he managed to survive 18 days, dehydrating himself and got in a boxing ring. I still can't see the NHS having a duty of care to stop you lying and fighting.
 
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Minstadave said:
I still can't see the NHS having a duty of care to stop you lying and fighting.
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I did say that.

However the NHS have a Duty of Care when the patient comes through the doors and I get many Clinicians reports back saying "We should have done this or that".
Misdiagnosis of fractures is the number one negligence or not even taking an Xray in the first place.

And of course the Policy of that particular hospital can be waved at the Solicitor so it could be that particular Trust doesn't CT possible head trauma but that doesn't stop a claim being won.
 
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