Case Study

A Devon woman was treated for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and even ended up in a care home – but she wasn’t suffering from the illnesses.

Now Devon law firm Wollens has won significant compensation for her after the wrong hospital diagnosis which changed her life.

She had lived with and managed her Bipolar disorder for many years. But as a result of a period of not taking her medication, she relapsed and was taken to hospital. 

There, instead of the relapse being recognised, she was diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. She was started on medications to manage the diseases.

She was then discharged to a care home, after being told that, due to her diagnosis, she could not return home. 

The woman and her son began to question the diagnosis, and after many months of campaigning finally secured a second opinion, which concluded that the initial assessment had been defective. 

She did not have either Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and she had been medicated unnecessarily for many months.

She had now also become institutionalised in the care home, lacking the confidence and capability to return to her home, despite having lived independently with Bipolar disorder for the entirety of her adult life.

The woman’s son said: “

Elizabeth Larner, one of the specialist clinical negligence lawyers at Wollens, said: “We managed to secure a large award for this lady, which included not only compensation for the misdiagnosis and having been medicated unnecessarily, but also included funds on account of her ever increasing care home fees which, of course, would not have arisen were it not for the hospital’s negligence”.
If you or someone you know has been affected by a misdiagnosis, you can contact Elizabeth Larner for a free initial consultation on 01803 225135 or via email at elizabeth.larner@wollens.co.uk.   You can also go to www.wollens.co.uk and complete an online enquiry form. One of the Wollens team will contact you as soon as they are available.

Speak to Elizabeth Larner

Elizabeth is a Partner at Wollens and can advise you. Contact Elizabeth via email Elizabeth.Larner@wollens.co.uk or call 01803 225135.

You can also complete an online enquiry form. One of the Wollens team will contact you as soon as they are available.