Negligence in treatment of chronic back pain

Chapman v Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust [2023] EWHC 1290 (KB)

In a successful claim for clinical negligence based on a delay in diagnosing and treating her back problems, which the claimant contended had exacerbated her condition culminating in paraplegia, she relied on separate claims in a trial which was concerned with liability only. A lesson to be learned from this case is that it is vital for the right person to give information to patients to ensure that their decisions are made in the context of accurate details about the risks and benefits of potential treatments and alternatives. Clinicians who are not experts in the field in question should avoid acting beyond their remit, which had happened in this case.