Missed Arm Fracture Case Study
18 May 2021 | Stephanie Prior
Orthopaedic injury: LR v Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Our client LR was 69 years old, had a fall at home and was taken to the A&E Department at Basildon University Hospital. She pursued a claim in relation to clinical negligence arising from delays in diagnosing her fractured right femur on her presentation to hospital.
An Emergency Nurse Practitioner assessed and examined her, and an X-ray was ordered.
The note of the attendance includes “x-ray right femur query fractured right leg”. However, neither the reporting radiographer nor the Emergency Nurse Practitioner realised that LR had suffered an undisplaced sub-capital fracture of her right hip. Post-X-ray she was told that she had no broken bone but rather bruising and ligament damage. A working diagnosis was “contusion/soft tissue injury right thigh”. She was told to go home and mobilise and was given crutches and analgesia. Following this attendance, the X-ray report was not sent to LR’s general practitioner.
LR contacted her GP when she was still in great pain, and her analgesia had run out. Her GP did not have any information from Basildon University Hospital but prescribed co-codamol.
Later in the same month, LR returned to Accident & Emergency at Basildon University Hospital by ambulance, reporting that she had been unable to bear weight since the event and had swelling on her right leg. She was again seen by an Emergency Nurse Practitioner and told that she did not need further X-rays. The nursing staff were concerned that LR had a blood clot in her right leg. She was given warfarin to thin her blood and told that she needed an ultrasound scan to check that she had no clot in her right leg. She was again discharged home in agony and told to mobilise, despite being in extreme pain. She was referred to the DVT clinic.
An ultrasound scan investigated the potential of DVT but was reported by the sonographer as being negative, and therefore LR’s anticoagulation was discontinued.
LR suffered swelling in her lower right leg and once again visited her doctor. No examination of her hip took place, and no note was made of the continued pain and the lack of change in LR’s condition since her last attendance. An x-ray of her lower right leg was requested. During another visit to her doctor, LR reported a dull ache and cramp in her right hip, had oedema and was still on crutches 5 weeks after her initial fall. Her GP, at this point, requested an urgent MRI scan of LR’s right hip and legs, but the radiology department at Basildon University Hospital refused this.
Another week or so passed, and LR was still no better, so she made another visit to see her GP. She was still in pain, not sleeping and unable to mobilise without crutches. Her GP still did not have the x-ray reports from A&E. However, he noticed she had an antalgic gait and very poor straight leg raising on the right side. He felt that an urgent hip X-ray was required.
LR was once again referred to Basildon University Hospital for an x-ray and, on this occasion, was informed she had suffered a fractured right hip and a shattered femur, which had happened as a result of her being told to mobilise. Our client underwent a total hip replacement under the care of a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. She was eventually discharged home from hospital on crutches; attended several follow-up appointments and underwent physiotherapy.
LR required care and domestic assistance from her daughters and her husband. She could not use the stairs at home and so had to sleep downstairs in an armchair. She had to use a commode to go to the toilet, which was embarrassing for her. She had to strip wash and her husband would assist her with this as she could not stand. She was also unable to drive and cycle. This affected LR’s psychological wellbeing and her anxiety increased as a result of the failure to diagnose the fracture in a timely manner. She was also prescribed and took rivaroxaban 15mg twice daily for two weeks, to treat DVT, which she did not have.
Our client has been left with a slight limp as a result of the delay in treatment and the need to undergo more extensive surgery instead of the fixation of her fracture with 3 cannulated screws. She initially had an un-displaced fracture which developed into a displaced fracture as a result of LR being told to mobilise. LR is recommended to undergo a revision right hip replacement in 15 years.
A settlement was reached out of court for five-figure damages.
Share this article
Contact
Contact us today
For a free initial conversation call 020 7485 8811
Email us Send us an email and we’ll get back to you
Related InsightsVIEW ALL
23.11.2023Maternity Negligence Claim against Bradford Teaching Hospitals
Osbornes acted for a Claimant, C, in her birth negligence claim against Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for maternity...
Read more
21.9.2023Large Compensation for Delayed Laryngeal Cancer Diagnosis
Actress receives financial award after life-changing missed cancer diagnosis. Jodi Newton acted for a client who was belatedly diagnosed with...
Read more
21.9.2023Delayed cervical cancer diagnosis claim
Jodi Newton acted for a woman who died following a delayed cervical cancer diagnosis. The deceased could have been diagnosed...
Read more- 19.9.2023
NHS England Waiting Lists: PM Blames Doctors’ Strike
NHS England’s waiting list has been growing over the past decade, rising from 3 million in 2014 to 7.7 million in July...
Read more - 19.9.2023
Fatal Claim: failure to diagnose appendicitis case settles...
Stephanie Prior was instructed in a claim against Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, where our client’s mother (JC) tragically passed...
Read more - 19.9.2023
Spinal Fracture Case Settles for 6-figure Sum
Spinal Fractures following cessation of Denosumab injection Stephanie Prior was instructed in a spinal injury claim against Mid and South...
Read more - 13.9.2023
Delayed skin cancer diagnosis
We are pleased to have successfully settled a client’s claim for a delayed cancer diagnosis – Basal Cell Carcinoma (“BCC”)....
Read more - 31.8.2023
NHS waiting lists hit an all-time high
Medical Negligence Solicitor Jodi Newton explains: England’s NHS waiting lists have hit the highest number since 2007, reaching a record...
Read more - 31.8.2023
Hyponatraemia – Symptoms, Causes & Negligence
What is hyponatraemia? Hyponatraemia is a condition where sodium levels fall below a certain level, which can be dangerous. All...
Read more - 10.8.2023
Ambulance Delays Affecting Rapid Patient Treatment
In 2017, the Secretary of State for Health accepted the new ambulance performance standards recommended by NHS England, meaning that the 11...
Read more - 1.8.2023
Failure to Treat Bowel Condition
Jodi Newton, a Partner in the Clinical Negligence Department at Osbornes Law, has recently settled a long running case against...
Read more - 26.7.2023
Private Healthcare Negligence
Can you claim negligence against a private hospital? Yes – it can be a little more complicated than bringing a claim...
Read more - 19.6.2023
Prison Healthcare Negligence
Nicholas Leahy, a solicitor in the Clinical Negligence Department at Osbornes Law, has recently successfully settled a long running case...
Read more - 9.6.2023
Early Notification Scheme – is it helping or failing...
What is the Early Notification Scheme? The NHS Early Notification Scheme (“ENS”) has reached its sixth anniversary. Established in April 2017,...
Read more - 5.6.2023
Are pharmacy closures putting patients at risk?
It has been reported in the press that chemist closures will have an impact on patients living in deprived or...
Read more - 11.4.2023
Osbornes Instructed After Local Authority Data Breach
Osbornes Law has recently negotiated a settlement on behalf of two clients who had their personal information inadvertently released to...
Read more - 23.3.2023
Private Pregnancy Scans and Substandard Care
In the news, it has been reported that private clinics that offer pregnancy scans to women are not meeting the...
Read more 
7.3.20235-figure settlement for infusion leak to mother
Elline Demetriou has reached another successful outcome for a Claimant, who pursued a post C-section birth injury to mother claim...
Read more- 14.2.2023
The risk of extravasation injuries during iron infusion...
Many patients with low iron, particularly during pregnancy or postnatally, may be advised they need an iron infusion such as...
Read more - 9.2.2023
Perineal Tear case settles for 6-figure sum
Stephanie Prior recently settled a claim relating to a woman who delivered her baby after a traumatic labour. Her son...
Read more - 23.1.2023
Court avoided after settlement agreed in dental negligence...
The Medical Negligence team have recently negotiated the settlement of a complex dental negligence case. Our client experienced a number...
Read more 
13.1.2023Delayed diagnosis of appendiceal cancer
The medical negligence team at Osbornes Law has recently settled a case involving a patient who passed away following a...
Read more- 14.12.2022
Successful settlement for negligent care during kidney transplant...
Claimant v Royal Free London NHS Trust Osbornes have reached a settlement agreement on behalf of a Claimant who brought...
Read more - 10.11.2022
Successful claim against dental practice after negligent treatment
Osbornes Law have reached another successful outcome for a client, who pursued a claim against dental practitioners due to medical...
Read more
