Lawford Kidd's Blog

A woman who collapsed in north London but had to wait more than 100 minutes for an ambulance has been awarded around £5 million in compensation, the BBC has reported.

The 36-year-old, who was a genetic scientist, sustained brain damage as a result of the delay and now needs 24-hour care.

The delay occurred because her home had apparently been flagged as high risk, and therefore the responding ambulance crew were told to wait for a police escort before going into the property. No police officers were immediately available and therefore the ambulance crew continued to wait just a short distance from the property, despite 999 being phoned on two further occasions.

A TUC-backed report has accused the government of being dishonest about the UK's 'compensation culture' in order to justify cutting basic health and safety protections at work. It warns that thousands of workers suffering deadly occupational diseases are being denied payouts as a result of these cutbacks.

The report, by the workers' health journal Hazards, shows that far from being a compensation free-for-all, as ministers claim, the number of people actually receiving awards for work-related injuries or diseases has fallen by 60% over the last decade - down from 219,183 in 2000/01 to 87,655 in 2011/12.

The report, based on official government figures, shows even the families of those dying from occupational diseases have little chance of securing a payout.

A man has been awarded compensation of £8,750 after he injured his ankle in the ditch of a ha-ha in the grounds of Hopetoun House, near Edinburgh, reports the Scotsman.

The man, who was 61 at the time of the accident, was attending a guided bat walk in the grounds with his grandson. The injury occurred as the pair walked back to their car in the dark at the end of the bat walk.

The compensation award was originally set at £35,000, however, according to the Scotsman, the judge reduced the amount by 75% for “a high level of contributory negligence” on behalf of the grandfather.