Compare Medical Negligence Claims

If you have experienced an illness or injury as a result of medical negligence, you might be entitled to claim compensation. Whether you have suffered as a result of a wrong diagnosis, mistake during surgery or another failure of care, the results of medical negligence can be devastating.

Taking legal action against those responsible may help to compensate you for your pain and suffering, and pay for any rehabilitation and care you need. Compare medical negligence solicitors today to start your claim.

What is medical negligence?

Also called clinical negligence, medical negligence refers to substandard care provided by a medical professional that has caused injury or resulted in an existing condition getting worse. There are many different examples of medical negligence. For example, if you have experienced harm because a healthcare provider did any of the following, you may be able to make a medical injury claim:

Provided you with the wrong medication
Failed to diagnose your condition or diagnosed you incorrectly
Failed to get your informed consent for treatment
Made a mistake during an operation or other medical procedure
Didn’t warn you about the risks associated with a treatment.

Medical negligence can be committed by healthcare providers including NHS staff and workers in private medical practices, as well as staff in GP surgeries, dental practices and pharmacies.

Am I entitled to make a medical negligence claim?

As mentioned previously, you can make medical negligence claims in the UK if you have been injured as a result of substandard treatment. You can also make a claim if you are the next of kin of someone who has died because of such treatment or who can’t take legal action themselves because they are lacking the capacity to do so.

In order to succeed in medical negligence compensation claims, you have to show that ‘on the balance of probability’, your treatment fell below medically acceptable standards and that this directly resulted in your injury. This can be a complex area of law, but a personal injury lawyer will be able to help in gathering the necessary information and ensure you understand exactly what is required.

It’s important to be aware that in most cases, you must start your legal claim within three years of the date when the substandard treatment was provided or when you became aware that you had suffered an injury because of poor care. This three-year time limit doesn’t apply in the case of children. They have three years from their 18^th birthdays to take legal action. Also, if the claim is for a patient who has a mental disability and therefore can’t manage their own affairs, the time limit doesn’t apply until (and unless) they recover from their disability. In both these cases, a parent or another person who is close to them can make a compensation claim on their behalf.

Because medical negligence cases can be highly complex to investigate and prove, it’s best to take specialist legal advice as soon as possible.

How much compensation can I expect?

The amount you could receive for a medical compensation claim will depend on a number of factors, including how severe your injuries are and the impact they have had on your life. Your compensation payment will take into account injuries or losses that have been directly caused by the treatment you received. This could include:

The pain and suffering you have experienced
The cost of any treatment you may need
Loss of earnings
The cost of adapting your home
The cost of additional equipment or care you require
Compensation if you can no longer carry out certain hobbies or activities due to your injuries
Compensation for psychological harm.

The court will take certain social security benefits that you may receive due to your injury into account when deciding how much compensation to award you.