Paul v Wolverhampton – The end of the road for nervous shock in clinical negligence….

It has taken the Supreme Court eight months to decide what to do about claims for psychiatric injury by secondary victims in clinical negligence cases. By a majority of six to one they have decided that nervous shock has no place in clinical negligence cases: “We are not able to accept that the responsibilities of […]

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Parsons v. Isle of Wight – The importance of consent

This is another decision from Mr Justice Ritchie which, like CNZ v Bath, focusses on consent in an acute setting rather than the more leisurely context of the outpatient clinic. The Claimant suffered spinal cord injury as a result of the penetration of her spinal cord by an anaesthetic needle. An epidural had been recommended […]

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Why material contribution applies both to divisible and indivisible injuries

If you ever worry that you find it hard to get your head around material contribution then stop. You are not alone. The Court of Appeal has now given welcome clarification and explained: That material contribution causation applies both to divisible and indivisible injuries. That this area of law “has been bedevilled by apparent inconsistency […]

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McCulloch v Forth Valley Health Board – Montgomery watered down?

McCulloch v Forth Valley Health Board Mr McCulloch died in April 2012 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He had reported chest pain and received treatment at Forth Valley Hospital. His treating cardiologist, Dr Catherine Labinjoh, decided that his presentation was inconsistent with pericarditis. He was discharged a few days later, but then readmitted. Dr Labinjoh […]

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Major new decision on Montgomery and causation in Birth Injury Cases

CNZ v. Royal Bath Hospitals NHS FT and SoS for Health and Social Care, 11 January 2023 Mr Justice Ritchie has given judgment for the claimant in a historic CP case which has significant implications both for Montgomery and material contribution causation in clinical negligence cases, particularly those involving acute profound hypoxic ischaemia. The Claimant, […]

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