Patient treated with un-sterilised equipment receives compensation

Thompsons Solicitors have helped to win compensation for a patient who attended a dental hygienist who was treated with un-sterilised equipment. 

The hygienist had recently ordered a new piece of scaling equipment which was not connected to the main equipment, as the dental nurse was unfamiliar with the equipment and untrained she failed to change the scaling tip after the first patient of the morning.

Horrifically the client was not contacted by the Health Board until almost a month after the incident.  It emerged that directly following the incident the hygienist and the dental nurse decided not to report their error as they were satisfied that the medical history of the patient was low risk.

When the client was finally notified of the incident she required to undergo blood tests and had to endure months of worry waiting to see if any blood borne diseases would develop.

The client contacted Thompsons Solicitors to see if she had a valid claim for compensation.  Thompsons contacted the Health Board who at first refused to pay compensation on the basis that the client did not actually sustain any physical injury. 

However Thompsons expert compensation Claim lawyers argued that the case was similar to a needlestick injury, where a hospital worker is pricked by a hypodermic syringe which was incorrectly disposed of. 

In needlestick cases Thompsons have argued, and succeeded in establishing that a personal injury has been sustained.  After much negotiation between Thompsons and the Health Board, they agreed to pay £1,250 in compensation, which is the going rate for needlestick type claims.

If you have had an accident involving needles call our No Win No Fee Lawyers FREE on 0800 0891331 and we can investigate matters for you and advise you on your first step towards receiving compensation or complete the compensation claim form below.

Compensation Claim Form