Mark Thomas has just been awarded €3.9million in compensation for a hospital being negligent in failure to diagnose meningitis, compounded by the fact that the victim was turned away from Walsall Manor Accident and Emergency Department and his parents were admonished at the time for ‘misusing the emergency services’. It took a second opinion five days after the initial hospital visit to determine that Mark Thomas had contracted meningitis.
In this tragic case, Mark Thomas has been left with brain damage and no short term memory and will never be able to work or live without the help of a carer.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Some of the usual symptoms include headaches, neck stiffness, fever, confusion, vomiting, and light or noise intolerance. Meningitis is life-threatening and has a high mortality rate if left untreated and delayed treatment can result in brain damage. Wide-spectrum antibiotics are therefore normally prescribed immediately, even before confirmatory tests.