Patient secures settlement over alleged medical negligence at Royal North Shore Hospital
A man has been awarded a significant settlement after suffering severe neurological damage in hospital which has left him unable to read or write.
North Shore
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A man has secured a settlement from the Northern Sydney Local Health District over neurological damage he sustained while he was a patient at Royal North Shore Hospital.
The medical negligence claim was launched by the family of Christopher Warren after he suffered a debilitating stroke at the hospital in June 2014.
The NSW Supreme Court heard Mr Warren was admitted as an inpatient after complaining of worsening headaches and weaknesses in his arm.
He underwent surgery for a clot blocking his cerebral artery and was later taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit where his “prognosis was thought to be good”.
His condition, however, “deteriorated” into the evening of June 25 — as noted in four follow-up checks by nurses and a doctor.
The court heard no further medical action was taken until 9am the next morning when a test detected “total arterial blockage” resulting in injuries that “seriously compromised” Mr Warren’s physical and mental capacities.
Supreme Court Judge Christine Adamson said “by this time the damage had been done and was no longer remediable.”
A submission from Mr Warren’s wife, Robyn, said her husband was a “bright, vibrant man” who had become a “completely different person” following the stroke.
Ms Warren said the neurological injuries also resulted in Mr Warren being unable to read or write and experiencing difficulties walking and initiating conversations.
Judge Adamson said Mr Warren would have “faced substantial forensic difficulties” proving a time in which his condition “ought to have been diagnosed” and whether an earlier medical procedure would have been successful.
In approving the confidential settlement, Judge Adamson said there was “substantial risk” Mr Warren could have lost the proceedings.
She said the “substantial sum” in the settlement took into account his past medical expenses and costs for future care.
The Supreme Court also ordered the health district to pay $200,000 in legal costs.
“I am satisfied that the settlement is very much in the plaintiff’s interests (and) will bring to finality the uncertainty about his financial position which has caused him at times to suffer depression,” Judge Adamson said.
“It will alleviate the burden of care which his family, and principally his wife, have undertaken. She will be able to have respite which will help her to continue.”
In a statement, the Northern Sydney Local Health District said further details of the terms of settlement were confidential due to “patient privacy and legal reasons”.
“Hospital staff have apologised to the family for any distress caused while receiving care and treatment at Royal North Shore hospital,” a spokesman said.
“Clinical incidents are reviewed, reported and investigated according to standard NSW Health procedures.”