With laser eye surgery becoming more popular it is crucial people understand the small but serious risks to them and their health, as well as the many benefits. Clinicians are under a duty to advise a patient of the risks and whilst laser eye surgery does help many, it is crucial that a patient is advised of the risks, to help them make an informed decision before pursuing any surgery without pressure from the clinician or staff.
In this case the judge found that Optical Express had put pressure on the claimant in the initial consultation and also when signing the consent form in the waiting room before the procedure. The judge said she had been “enticed” to have the procedure, despite hesitations, and noted Optical Express’ guidance to staff to “encourage [customers] to proceed”.
A large part of the award was to compensate the claimant for future losses, including pay she will be unable to earn because she could no longer continue in her job. £500,000 may sound like a generous sum but the vast majority of any compensation award is directly linked to a person's financial losses, caused by negligence of another, such as a company or a hospital. The compensation is intended to give financial security for the rest of a person's life, as far as possible.
At Anthony Collins Solicitors we have represented people who have lost their sight due to medical negligence. We have experience of what blindness means for an individual and their family, both practically and emotionally, and try to help them find specialist support to be as independent as possible.
Contact Ann Houghton, personal injury and clinical negligence solicitor on 0121 212 7478 or ann.houghton@anthonycollins.com. For further information on the case, please click here.
Commercial and local authority landlords could benefit from urgently reviewing their legal options.
The Cabinet Office has published guidance asking for people to act responsibly, fairly and “in the national interest”.
To help our charity clients look to the future, we summarise key guidance and updates over the last week.
On 18 May 2020, the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) wrote to all social housing residents in England (residents).
For anyone who is currently restrained from holding their General Meeting or have held such in breach of their governing documents, help is on the way!
Social landlords may be surprised to learn that “landlords should be able to carry out routine as well as essential repairs for most households”.
Many housing providers are now re-thinking about gathering information to complete their data return to the Regulator of Social Housing, with the initial exercise having been delayed by Covid-19.
With many premises being left unoccupied (or minimally occupied) during the lockdown, both Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive have warned of the increased risks of Legionella.
The Court of Appeal judgement in Booth and another v R [2020] EWCA Crim 575 will be welcome news for local authority prosecutors and their investigation teams.
The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 came into force on 4 April.
To receive invitations to our events, as well as information and articles on legal issues and sector developments that are of interest to you, please sign up to Newsroom.