Care providers in the home, a care home or the hospital have a duty of care to ensure that they take adequate steps to prevent pressure sores from forming. They should take steps such as providing appropriate beds, regularly changing the patient’s position on a bed or chair and checking for the early symptoms of bed sores. If you have suffered pressure sores while in a medical setting, you may be wondering how much compensation for pressure sores you could receive.
Within this guide we explain what could cause pressure sores and how compensation for suffering them may be calculated. We will also explain the specific eligibility criteria your case must meet in order to have a valid medical negligence claim. We end this guide by discussing how a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel could help you with claiming compensation for your pressure sore injury.
Contact our team today to discuss your potential pressure sore compensation claim. They can offer you free advice and answer questions you may have regarding the medical negligence claims process.
Contact our team by:
- Calling 0800 408 7825,
- Filling out our online ‘contact us’ form,
- Or by using the live-chat below.
Jump To A Section
- What Are Pressure Sores?
- How Much Compensation For Pressure Sores?
- Can I Make A Pressure Sore Claim?
- Will The Grade Of The Pressure Sore Affect The Amount Of Compensation?
- How Can Healthcare Professionals Prevent Pressure Sores?
- Can I Claim Pressure Sore Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
- More Resources About Medical Negligence Claims
What Are Pressure Sores?
A pressure sore (also known as a pressure ulcer or bed sore) is an area of damage to the skin which may extend into the tissues underneath. They can be caused by unrelieved pressure on a part of the body and a distortion of the skin and tissues beneath. Pressure ulcers or sores may be painful. If they are not diagnosed or treated they can lead reach deeper layers of the skin. In some severe cases, may even lead to death.
Pressure sores may form on the boney parts of the body such as the lower back, heel, elbow or hip. They may develop slowly over time, or in some instances could happen in a matter or hours.
Those more at risk of pressure ulcers or bedsores are those recovering from surgery, those with health conditions and those with limited mobility. Hospital staff and caregivers must ensure that they check for the symptoms of pressure ulcers and ensure that people are moved regularly to prevent bed sores.
Later in this guide, we discuss when you may be able to claim for a pressure sore. Alternatively, you can also contact our advisors to learn how much compensation for pressure sores you may be able to receive.
How Much Compensation For Pressure Sores?
You may be wondering how much compensation for pressure sores you could receive. The amount of compensation that could be awarded to you will depend on several factors, such as:
- The severity of harm suffered.
- Your expected recovery period.
- If any financial losses were suffered.
Your compensation following a successful medical negligence claim could include general damages and special damages.
General damages compensate you for the unnecessary harm you have suffered due to the duty of care being owed by a medical professional being breached We explain later in this guide the duty of care they owe you.
The table below lists some compensation guidelines from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) that may be applicable to pressure sore claims. The JCG is a document that may be used, alongside any medical evidence provided, by those valuing your claim as it lists guideline compensation brackets for various forms of harm.
Please only use this table as a guide. Also note that the first entry does not come from the JCG.
| Harm | Severity | Compensation Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple severe forms of harm and special damages | Severe | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain damage | Moderately severe (b) | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Moderate (c) (i) | £183,190 to £267,340 | |
| Leg | Loss of both legs - (a) (i) | £289,850 to £344,150 |
| Loss of one leg (a) (iii) | £127,930 to £167,760 | |
| Kindey | Serious (a) | £206,730 to £256, 780 |
| Significant (b) | Up to £78,080 | |
| Arm | Loss of one arm (b) (i) | Not less than £167,380 |
| Loss of one arm (b) | £133,810 to £159,770 |
Special Damages
Special damages could compensate you for past and future financial losses that have been caused by the unnecessary harm you have suffered. Some examples may include:
- A loss of earnings.
- Medical expenses.
- Care costs.
- Travel expenses.
Providing evidence of these financial costs and losses could help support your chances of receiving special damages as part of your settlement. Evidence could include payslips, bank statements and invoices.
Please contact a member of our team to find out how much compensation for pressure sores you may be eligible to claim. You can also continue reading this guide to see whether you may have a valid case.
Can I Make A Pressure Sore Claim?
All medical and healthcare professionals owe you a duty of care when you are under their care. Doctors, nursing staff and other healthcare providers must meet the minimum expected standard of care when treating their patients, per their duty of care. If a healthcare professional fails to adhere to this duty of care, this could lead you to suffering unnecessary harm that could have otherwise been avoided.
If you have suffered a pressure sore while under the care of healthcare professionals, to be able to make a claim, you must prove that medical negligence occurred. This is when all of the following criteria are met.
- A medical professional owed you a duty of care.
- Their duty of care was breached. For example, despite knowing you had limited mobility, medical staff in a hospital failed to regularly turn you to prevent pressure sores from developing.
- This breach caused you to suffer harm that could have otherwise been avoided or was unnecessary.
Can I Claim For A Loved One Who Has Developed Pressure Sores?
If a loved one under the care of medical professionals has suffered a pressure sore, you may be able to make a claim on their behalf.
Generally there is a three year time limit for starting a medical negligence claim, as stated within the Limitation Act 1980. This usually runs from the date the medical negligence occurred or when you first became aware of it.
However, those lacking the mental capacity to manage their own claim or those under the age of 18 are unable to make their own claims. In these instances you could apply to the court to be a litigation friend and make a claim on their behalf. As their litigation friend, you will be expected to act in their best interests.
To learn more about the exceptions that apply to the time limit, or to see how much compensation for pressure sores you may be entitled to, you can contact our advisors.
Will The Grade Of The Pressure Sore Affect The Amount Of Compensation?
When assessing how much compensation for pressure sores you could be awarded, solicitors and other parties will take the severity of the unnecessary harm you suffered into account. This means, the more severe your pressure sore is, the more compensation you may be eligible to receive.
Medical professionals use a grading system for the severity of pressure ulcers or bedsores. This grade could affect your pressure sore compensation payout. There are four stages of pressure sores.
Pressure Sore Grades
- Stage one: at this level there is discolouration of the skin. These are the least severe and can be treated easily if diagnosed early.
- Stage two: this is a partial-thickness loss of skin. The injury presents like a blister. This level of injury is more severe.
- Stage three: this is a full thickness loss of skin. There is also damage to tissue below the skin. The injury may present as a deep crater in the person’s skin.
- Stage four: as well as full thickness skin loss, necrosis has led to extensive dead tissue with damage to the muscle and bone.
When claiming pressure sores compensation it is important to get an accurate diagnosis of the harm you have suffered, its severity and the impact this has had on you. This is important to ensure you get the right compensation settlement and to ensure that you receive the correct treatment for your injuries.
To discuss your medical negligence claim, or to see how much you pressure sore negligence claim may be worth, you can contact our advisors.
How Can Healthcare Professionals Prevent Pressure Sores?
Healthcare professionals can take steps to prevent patients developing pressure sores. This includes:
- Carrying out a risk assessment of the patient and identifying if they are at risk of developing pressure sores.
- Preventing pressure sores from developing by putting safety measures, such as regularly moving a patient, in place.
- Providing pressure-relieving mattresses for patients in bed or cushions for sitting patients.
- Providing a balanced diet and plenty of fluids.
- Regularly checking vulnerable areas on the patient.
If you have suffered a pressure sore due to a healthcare professional failing to adhere to their duty of care, you could be eligible for compensation. To find out if you have a valid case for poor care in a hospital or other medical setting and to learn how much compensation for pressure sores you may be able to receive, you can contact our advisors.
Can I Claim Pressure Sore Compensation On A No Win No Fee Basis?
Our panel of solicitors are experienced in handling a variety of medical negligence claims. They could work on your claim under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a type of No Win No Fee agreement.
You will not be charged at the start of the claim or during the claims process for work carried out by your solicitor when claiming under a CFA. If your claim for pressure sores is not successful, you will not have to pay for your solicitors work.
If the claim is a success, you will pay them a small percentage of your compensation. This is a success fee and there is a legal limit in place for the percentage it can be.
To see if one of the No Win No Fee solicitors on our panel could help you with your medical negligence claim, you can contact one of our advisors. They can also help answer any question you may have about suing a doctor for negligence, or any other type of healthcare professional.
- Call an advisor on 0800 408 7825
- Fill out our ‘contact us’ form online.
- Talk to an advisor through our ‘live chat’.
More Resources About Medical Negligence Claims
Additional medical negligence claims guides:
- In this guide to sepsis misdiagnosis claims we look at when and how you could claim compensation.
- Find out how to claim for common prescription errors in this guide.
- Here we look at how medical negligence could lead to leukaemia misdiagnosis and when you could claim compensation.
Additional resources:
- Guidance regarding pressure sores from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
- This guide from Cancer Research UK looks at the causes of pressure sores and how to prevent them.
- You can learn more about nurse’s duty of care in this guide from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
Thank you for reading our guide on how much compensation for pressure sores you could receive. For further information or to discuss your case, you can contact our team.