AN ELDERLY woman has been awarded £1 million in compensation due to negligence by the ambulance service.
A high court judge ruled on Monday that the 85-year-old and her family will be granted a clinical negligence settlement by the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS foundation trust.
The woman, who cannot be named, developed a serious viral infection and first contacted the ambulance service on Saturday, 13 February 2016.
But it was a further two days until she was taken to hospital for treatment, resulting in a brain injury.
A spokesman for the Trust said: “We apologise to the patient and her family.
“While we recognise that no amount of money can reverse the outcome of the care she received in 2016, we are pleased that a settlement has been agreed and hope that this makes life easier for both her and her family.”
Mr Justice Griffiths said the Trust has accepted responsibility of the negligence on the basis the woman should have been taken to hospital two days earlier, on Saturday, 13 February.
But he said there had been a dispute about the cause of her brain injury and the “quantum” of damages.
Lawyers told him the money would pay for care and be managed by a relative who had a power of attorney.
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