NHS Urges Citizens to Dial 999, when they spot early signs of Heart Attack

In recent news, the NHS has said that thousands more lives could be saved if people knew how to spot the early signs of a heart attack. Doctors are raising awareness about the common early symptoms of heart attack such as sweating and tightness in the chest – and to call 999 if they experience them.

This comes after a poll conducted showed that less than half of the people knew to dial 999 for some of the less clear signs. Only 41% from a poll of 2000, knew that sweating was an early symptom while just 27% are aware that light-headedness, feeling weak or uneasy were common symptoms of heart attack.

In England, hospitals record more than 80,000 hospital admissions for heart attacks each year. For people who experience heart attack, the overall survival rate is seven in ten and this increases to nine in ten when they seek timely hospital treatment.

From 14 February to 31 March, the NHS are on the campaign to raise awareness of the common early symptoms of heart attack which include sweating, uneasiness, chest tightness and to encourage them to dial 999 in such situations.

Prof Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said that if people are able to recognize these vital signs, thousands of deaths could be prevented with earlier treatment. According to him, cardiovascular disease causes a quarter of all deaths across the country and that this area of health is the single biggest area where lives can be saved over the next decade.

The campaign not only raises awareness for heart attack but also for cardiac arrest. If urgent treatment is not done, people who experience a cardiac arrest can die within minutes. 

Symptoms Of A Heart Attack Include

• Chest pain – a sensation of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest
• Pain in other parts of the body – it feels as though the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm is affected, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back and abdomen
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling sick or being sick
• An overwhelming sense of anxiety (similar to having a panic attack)
• Coughing or wheezing

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What happens in the event of Clinical Negligence?

When a medical professional fails in his or her duty of care towards a patient under his or her care, this is termed clinical negligence.

Clinical or Hospital negligence can occur in the following ways;

• Completely Missed Diagnosis
• Incorrect Diagnosis
• Late Diagnosis
• Incorrect treatment
• Delays in commencing the right treatment
• Failing to carry out proper diagnostic tests
• Surgical errors
• Prescription errors and drug administration errors
• Errors during drug administration including giving overdose
• Failing to warn the patient of risks of a treatment or procedure and getting the patients’ informed consent
• Delay in or failing to refer patient to a specialist for further expert medical attention

If you have suffered any form of distress (for example a heart attack) as a result of clinical negligence, help is available to you.

How Can I Prove My Clinical Negligence Claim? 

To prove your clinical negligence claim, you need to establish the four D’s of medical negligence which are;

Duty of care– Where we show that the hospital owed you or your loved one a responsibility of care.
• Deviation from duty of care– Meaning that the hospital breached that duty of care.
• Direct Causation– The breach of duty of care is the direct cause of your predicament.
• Damages– You have suffered damages to your health and general well being as a result.

Why Choose Us

At Medical Negligence Direct, we have expert Clinical Negligence Solicitors who boast a very strong record of winning best possible compensation amounts for clients with medical negligence claims for decades.

We can guarantee you the best legal representation for your clinical negligence compensation claims. We are also pleased to say that our lawyers are accredited with the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) panel and The Law Society’s panel. 

We assist our clients by first listening to them tell their experiences and then thoroughly evaluating the situation presented to see if they really have a claim.

We will then help our clients with funding for their claims, this can be through Legal Aid if they are eligible, Conditional Fee Agreement (No Win No Fee) or other options as they may be eligible for.

Additionally, we assist our clients to gather documents which will be used as evidence to build a strong case and establish that indeed the medical professional or hospital was negligent and then negotiate an appropriate compensation payout while ensuring that the whole process is smooth and stress free.

Also, we would do our very best to secure interim payments if the case continues to linger so that our clients do not suffer financially and are also able to access quality medical care or rehabilitation, and purchase special equipment vital for their recovery.