Hospital Care: Nicole Benezech "experimented on and nearly died"
September 02, 2009
Posted by:Jo Chapman
I was delighted to see that the Telegraph on 28th August 2009 published an article about our successful clinical negligence case against Royal Surrey County Hospital, but a little disappointed that the real issue was not highlighted. In the first place, it is completely unacceptable to place a patient in a randomised trial without obtaining ethical committee approval, without presenting written documentation to the patient to explain the nature of the trial and providing an opt out if he or she wishes and without obtaining written consent to participation in the trial. In the second place, it is disgraceful to conduct such a "trial" without written documents relating to the supevision by the anaesthetist of the management of the epidural after it had been set up including training notes and records and protocols for the pain management team to ensure that a patient has proper pressure relief once they are rendered effectively paralysed and insensible of pain.