The team at First4lawyers got into the usual spirit of this year’s Red Nose Day by fully embracing the ‘do something funny for money’ theme of the 2013 Comic Relief appeal.

Staff took part in a whole host of activities throughout the day to raise lots of smiles and lots of cash for the charity. Events included a ‘red nose raffle’ and a ‘buzz word test’, where advisors were challenged not to say selected words in a one hour period. If the buzz word was spoken then a forfeit of a cash contribution was made to the charity fund.

A ‘rack your noggin’ quiz also took place with staff answering comedy, general knowledge, music and sports questions. To continue the Red Nose Day theme, all staff wore red clothing as a nod to the annual fundraising day.

One of the most successful activities of the day was the ‘red nose rated calls’ contest. First4lawyers receive hundreds of calls a day so decided to ask callers to rate its services out of five. For every caller that rated our service three or above First4lawyers made a donation to Comic Relief, and we’re delighted to say that thanks to our exceptionally high standards of customer service 90% of callers rated us five out of five helping us to really boost our Red Nose Day fund!

We’d like to thank all of our staff and clients for getting involved and helping us to raise a grand total of £170 - we’re already looking forward to planning our fundraising for next year’s appeal!

{ 0 comments }

<br /> <a href="http://www.first4lawyers.com/britains-most-dangerous-roads/"> <img title="Britain’s Most Dangerous Roads" src="http://www.first4lawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/First4Lawyers-Britains-Most-Dangerous-Roads-infographic.jpg" alt="Britain’s Most Dangerous Roads" width="640" /></a><br /> [Infographic] was created by <a href="http://www.first4lawyers.com/">First4lawyers</a><br />

{ 0 comments }

Following the publication of the damning Mid-Staffordshire report, the NHS can expect an ‘explosion’ of medical negligence claims, according to the Law Society Gazette.

A spokesperson for the NHS litigation Authority has admitted that there has been an increase in claims in recent years against the NHS and following the Mid Staffordshire report, a spike is expected.

According to reports on the Mid-Staffs scandal, it has been estimated that between 400 and 1200 more patients than expected died as a direct result of substandard care experienced in Stafford Hospital.

The Independent Inquiry into care by the Mid Staffordshire NHS trust was published in February this year, after carefully compiling years’ worth of claims by relatives of poorly-treated patients.

A compilation of witness accounts from patients, relatives and staff, the Inquiry – lead by Robert Francis QC – revealed that patients spending time at the hospital suffered as a result of poor staff levels and poor management of nurses. Mid-Staffs negligence reports reveal a harrowing side of the NHS, struggling to meet unrealistic cut targets.

On many occasions, patients were left lying in soiled bed sheets for days. Relatives recount having to conduct simple tasks such as cleaning their loved ones and on some occasions changing burst catheters themselves.

Patients who needed assistance to reach the toilet were left waiting for hours at a time, with calls for help often ignored or delayed for long periods of time.

Patients suffering from pain were often forced to wait hours simply to be administered painkillers and it was reported that in many instances hungry and thirsty patients had sustenance left out of their reach.

It was also found that patients were discharged before it was safe for them to leave, with some of them passing away shortly afterwards at home.

The report also found that many patients contracted infections during their stay, including C. difficile virus, and many relatives contend that patients died as a result.

A Timeline of Events

2007

November: Julie Bailey sets up the campaign group Cure the NHS after her mother, Bella Bailey, died after a stay of two months at the hospital.

Mrs Bailey had been suffering from breathing difficulties and had a hiatus hernia when she was admitted. The report revealed that she was left without oxygen, something that she needed on a 24-hour basis, thanks to a shortage. On one occasion, she was dropped by nursing staff who were attempting to transfer her back to bed. Julie Bailey has remained active throughout the Mid-Staffs scandal, championing the reports and offering advice to anybody affected by Mid-Staffordshire negligence.

2008

May: After the unusually high death toll at the hospital was noticed by government officials, The Healthcare Commission watchdog began an investigation into the matter.

October: The Healthcare Commission issues an order that Stafford Hospital immediately improve their accident and emergency department. The Mid Staffordshire Trust agrees to employ more doctors and nurses for the department.

2009

February: Stafford Hospital closes five wards thanks to a norovirus vomiting bug.

March: Just a few days before the Health Care Commission report is due to be published, chief executive Martin Yeates and chairman of the Mid Staffordshire Trust resign. It soon transpires that Yeats walked away with a payoff of £400,000 and a pension pot of £1 million.

The Healthcare Commission report is published on the 18th, revealing the appalling standards of care experienced by patients staying in Staffordshire Hospital.

May: The hospital reveals its brand new plan to make improvements. Millions will be invested in new equipment and facilities.

September: New chief executive Anthony Samara says he will close any wards which are not working to a certain standard.

2010

January: NHS executive Kate Levy is suspended after it was found that she requested for a fatal medical accident to not be reported. John Moore-Robinson passed away due to a ruptured spleen shortly after being discharged from the hospital.

June: David Cameron reveals that a public inquiry will be launched to further investigate the failings at Stafford Hospital. He hopes to discover why the alarm was not raised over the high death rates. Media interest in the Mid-Staffordshire scandal rises.

September: Staffordshire County Council promises to help the hospital address a backlog of 200 complaints and have them cleared by 1 December.

November: The Mid Staffordshire Trust agrees to pay more than £1million in compensation to 98 people for the poor care they or their relatives received at the hospital.

2011

October: The Quality Care Commission warns the NHS Trust that its findings have discovered low staffing levels have consistently compromised the safety of patients.

December: It is announced that Stafford Hospital’s A&E department will be closing at night for a total of three months, thanks to staff shortages.

2012

September: Following a financial crisis, Foundation Trust regulator Monitor says that experts will be employed to address monetary issues of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation.

December: The trust has now paid out more than £1 million to patients or relatives of those who experienced degrading treatment at the hospital.

February 2013: The final report is published. You can read it here.

{ 0 comments }

An employee has successfully won compensation from his employers after his finger was severed at work. The company has been ordered to pay fees to the worker, as well as pay a fine.

According to the Macclesfield Express, The East Cheshire Glass Ltd worker was positioning plastic under the unguarded blade when his index finger made contact with the rotating machinery, and was severed below the second knuckle.

The unnamed worker was following instructions by his superiors whilst performing this task, and so has suffered from substandard health and safety.

East Cheshire Glass appeared before a magistrate and admitted breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to provide adequate safety measures around dangerous pieces of equipment.

The court heard that the blade was not turned off in between the placement of plastic under the machinery, meaning the equipment continued to run whilst exposed to workers.

It was also admitted that the guard on the blade had been adjusted in order to stop it hitting the plastic as it was lowered, though a result of this meant large parts of the blade were exposed.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Jane Carroll said of the incident: “If the guards on the blades were causing problems then East Cheshire Glass should have adapted them in a way that meant the blades were still fully protected when they were raised.

“The company’s priority should have been the safety of its employees but instead one of its workers suffered a permanent injury.”

These incidents have occurred several times before across Britain. One man in Cheshire was rewarded £6,000 after his finger was severed at work, while a teenage apprentice in Gloucestershire lost two fingers due to a similar incident.

The HSE has prosecuted several companies due to these incidents, and Inspector Caroline Bird said of the teen’s accident: “A teenage apprentice just entering the world of work, lost parts of two fingers because Albany Engineering didn’t do enough to look after his safety.

“The company failed to adopt a safe system of work on this machine and failed to carry out a proper risk assessment of the work.”

Work related injuries have significantly reduced over the past few years, though the numbers are still in the thousands. In 2003/2004, nearly one million employees were injured in some way at work, though the figures for 2011/2012 are significantly lower at 600,000.

Full statistics for each work industry can be found at the HSE website.

{ 0 comments }

The A66-B6274 has been dubbed the deadliest road in Britain despite previous multi-million pound plans to improve safety on the busy main road.

The 2007 improvement dualling scheme, as reported by The Northern Echo, failed to eradicate the accident blind spots on the road which were leading to numerous major and fatal accidents every year. The Highways Agency is now planning to take action after an assessment of the west of Scotch Corner, a road renowned for its dangerous reputation.

The study carried out by the Highways Agency saw that the new dual carriageway on the stretch of road failed to reduce accidents, as twelve people either died or were seriously injured within the two years following the road work completion.

The investigation was located at Sedbury Home Farm Bend, a notorious section of the road, and the findings will induce a new safety plan for the financial year 2013/2014. The agency will also investigate accidents at Melsonby crossroads during this period; if a proposal for an improved safety scheme can be found for this area, work will take place in 2014/2015.

The investigation will further study the areas of Winston crossroads and the stretches between Carkin Moor and Browson Bank, though this work is unlikely to begin for several years.

The plan was shown to North Yorkshire county councillor Michael Heseltine who is disappointed the entire stretch of the A66 is not yet planned to be duelled, but is pleased to see the safety measures being taken.

The councillor said: “The dualling of the A66 west of Scotch Corner in recent years has been a great improvement, but local residents and road users have expressed concerns over some safety issues.

“I am very glad the Highways Agency is looking at the situation and likely to make changes, particularly at the Melsonby and Winston crossroads, and the Hartforth-A66 junction.”

British roads see an average of seven deaths due to road accidents every day, meaning within a nine year period, an estimated 32,300 deaths have occurred on the road.

Cyclist injuries and fatalities are on the increase especially within large cities such as London, though the majority of road incidents are between cars.

The Guardian published a report of the statistics of road accidents from 2011, and the findings show everywhere but Central Scotland, Fife, Dumfries and Tayside witness thousands of injuries every year, with a significant proportion of these incidents resulting in death.

{ 0 comments }

A Norway scientist’s research has revealed that the use of sleeping pills could increase the risk of a road traffic accident.

Ingebjørg Gustavsen, clinical pharmacologist at Ulleval University Hospital in Olso, is certain that taking the pills to remedy a restless night can increase the chance of a car accident the following morning.

Gustavsen has years of study behind her, concerning drugs and intoxicants – her findings come as a result of her doctoral dissertation, in which the physician studied sale of sleeping pills and frequency of accidents of the recipients.

The study centred on four specific insomnia cures – zopiclone, zolpidem, nitrazepam and flunitrazepam.

According to her findings, the risk of accidents increased with all medicines, but it was Imovane which presented the most risk.

According to Science Nordic, Gustavsen said of the drug: “We found a double risk of involvement in a traffic accident the first week after a person purchased zopiclone at the drug store.”

Zopiclone – sold under the name of Imovane – is one of the most popular sleeping pills sold in Norway under prescription. It is prescribed under the assumption that it will be used for short-term sleeping problems. However, Gustavsen believes consumers are using them on a long-term basis.

Gustavsen also found that the pill was prescribed more to women than men.

“Women use it more than men and it is prescribed to a third of all women aged 80 in Norway,” Gustavsen continued.

The University of Lincoln is also due to study the effects of sleeping pills on likelihood of traffic incidents. According to the Grimsby Telegraph, researchers are seeking volunteers to take part in the study which hopes to further explore the risks of sleeping pills.

Researchers will once more be studying if those who take the pills at night are more likely to have an accident the following morning.

Sleeping pills can influence response time – much in the same way that alcohol can affect the brain – and may thus lead to poor responses during a potential crash situation.

If you are taking sleeping pills, it’s important that you are fully aware of the potential side effects.

Depending on the type of pill you take, you can experience shallower, slower breathing which can be dangerous for asthma sufferers, for example. There’s also more risk of becoming dizzy, drowsy and finding it difficult to keep your balance.

Your GP has a responsibility to inform you of any possible side effects when prescribing sleeping pills.

{ 0 comments }

Calibra Tree Surgeons in Reading have been fined£7,000 and ordered to pay £5,973 in costs due to a serious breach in health and safety that led to the loss of a teenager’s toes.

As reported by the Health and Safety Executive, Connor Harfield, at the time aged 16, lost all of his toes and the majority of the ball of his right foot during the third week of his first job at the tree surgery company.

Now aged 18, Harfield has been left permanently impaired by the incident, and has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Reading Magistrates’ Court heard that the teen was working to reduce shrubbery and stubs for the company using a mobile wood chipper. As he was feeding the wood into the machine, he inserted his right foot within the shoot to speed up the flow.

His shoe then snagged on the feed rollers and his foot was pulled within the blades.

An investigation by HSE found that the chipper was badly maintained and was missing a vital safety switch. They also established that the first-time worker was not properly supervised or trained, and should not have been allowed to work in such conditions.

Calibra were aware of the safety defect as they had ordered a new safety valve for the machine, and they pleaded guilty to the court on single breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

HSE inspector Daniel Hilbourne said: “No responsible company would keep equipment with defective safety measures in use, especially a piece of equipment like a wood chipper that is known to be dangerous because of the very nature of what it does.

“Neither would a responsible company leave a young, inexperienced worker to his own devices around such machinery without adequate training and supervision.

“Yet that is precisely what Calibra Tree Surgeons allowed, and a teenager has been left with permanent impairment and psychological scarring as a result.

“It is well known that young people in the workplace are often less risk averse, and they need to be closely and carefully monitored when using machinery.

“It is also imperative that machinery is well maintained and is pre-checked before use. Had that happened here, this serious incident could have been prevented.”

{ 0 comments }

A brick company in Normanton has received a fine of £15,000 after proper safety precautions were not put in place, resulting in an employee almost losing his hand.

According to the Construction Enquirer, the incident, which took place in December 2010, saw the 60-year-old worker rushed to hospital after a brick-making press crushed his hand.

The process of making bricks requires a brick press machine, a large and powerful machine that compacts bricks before they can be kilned.

The worker in question stopped the machine temporarily, so he could clean under the pressing plates. The machine restarted without warning.

The impact of the press severed his thumb and heavily damaged his hand, slicing through nerves and tissue instantly and leaving him with a partially separated palm.

The employee was taken to nearby Pinderfields Hospital, where a graft had to be performed using tissue and nerve matter taken from his legs. He has been unable to return to work after the numerous skin grafts and operations.

It has transpired that the brick company, which since has stopped trading, failed to properly assess the machine for safety and perform a risk assessment.

Given that workers commonly were required to access various parts of the machine, it was vital that this assessment be carried out. The Health and Safety Executive found that there were numerous failings in the standard of the safety measures on the machine, which led to this accident.

The lack of proper protection could have easily led to additional accidents, or even death, of the employees working with or around the pressing machine.

Said HSE investigator Jack Ferguson of the accident: “This was a serious incident that could have been so easily avoided.”

The brick-making company was fined £15,000 for the incident, and an additional £6,307 for costs.

Employers have a responsibility to ensure their employees are working in a safe environment, and run minimal risk of injury.  Accidents in the workplace are more likely in construction-centric occupations and factory floors, and it is an employer’s responsibility to assess any risks and deal with them appropriately.

Accidents liable for compensation include forklift truck accidents, construction site accidents, accidents caused by having not been issued proper safety equipment, and accidents that arise from lack of proper training.

If you have been injured at work, you can get more information and advice on your next move here.

{ 0 comments }

City Hospitals Sunderland has paid out £6,237,445 in compensation due to negligence, an increase of £1.6million within the last year, reports by Sunderland Echo.

Many of the claims were in regards to operations or births having complications.

One example of the negligence experienced at the hospital involved the birth of Callum Jacques, now 15. Mother Anna Jacques helped her son win the £175,000 compensation pay-out, which the teenager will receive when he hits 18.

Ms Jacques told the Sunderland Echo: “We knew he was going to be a big baby, and I wanted to have a Caesarean sections, which I’d already had with Callum’s sister, Lauren, but they just kept telling me that there was nothing like a natural birth and insisted I went through with it.

“But during the birth, he became stuck by the shoulders, and this went on to damage all the nerves in his neck.”

After the birth, doctors said Callum’s shoulder was swollen, but would reduce within time, failing to diagnose the infant’s paralysis Erbs Palsy.

The mother-of-three said: “The amount of money he received was a disgrace when you consider the level of disability he now has.”

Callum has undergone various operations in attempts to allow him more movement in his neck and shoulders, but after 10 intrusive operations, he feels unable to have anymore.

Anna said: “Last year he had another operation, but he has now decided against any more.

“The last one was so horrendous; he just said ‘enough is enough’.”

Another case against the hospital saw a six-year-old boy awarded a multi-million pound compensation pay-out due to oxygen starvation during his birth. City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust agreed to a 70% liability, and agreed to the settlement due to this.

A spokesman for City Hospitals Sunderland said: “It is an inevitable fact that although we believe City Hospitals to be one of the leading trusts in the country with some of the best staff and facilities available anywhere, in an organisation which deals in matters of life and death, legal costs are a fact of life.”

A representative for those who have received compensation said: “Patient safety should be the number one point of concern for all NHS Trusts.

“Every single case provides an opportunity for lessons to be learnt and appropriate measures to be put in place to ensure the same thing never happens again.”

{ 0 comments }