How to Claim Compensation For Medical, NHS and Hospital Negligence

Why might someone bring a claim for clinical negligence?

You may want to bring a claim for clinical negligence if you have received medical advice or treatment that leaves you in a worse situation than you had expected or even worse than you were before asking for help. We are all entitled to expect a certain standard of treatment from those providing us with medical assistance.

When you are seeking medical advice, you trust that professional to give you the best possible treatment or advice that they can.

What circumstances could result in a medical / clinical negligence claim?

The circumstances that may lead to a clinical negligence claim could be that you have had treatment that has not had the result that you expected.

It could also be that you were given the wrong diagnosis or there was a delay in making that diagnosis. It could even be that you have simply had the wrong treatment entirely.

What is the medical negligence claims process?

If you believe you have received a poor standard of treatment, the first thing I would always advise is to make a complaint directly to the medical practice involved. Don’t be afraid to do so as you may get just the answers you were looking for. If you are unsatisfied by their response, that’s the time that you should speak to a medical negligence lawyer / solicitor.

What makes a successful medical, NHS or clinical negligence claim?

To be successful in a clinical negligence claim, you must prove that the medical practitioner was negligent. Proving negligence is not always easy, as it is not simply a question of what you or I might think is negligent. You must prove that the advice or treatment fell below the standard that you should expect to receive from the relevant practitioner.

You have to prove that no other reasonable practitioner would have acted in the same way. Often the case will turn on the view expressed by an independent medical expert within that same practice area.

What can I claim compensation or damages for in a medical negligence claim?

If you can prove that the practitioner (GP, specialist, surgeon, anesthetist or other practitioner) was negligent and that this led to your injuries, you can claim compensation for your pain and suffering. In addition, you can claim for the financial losses you incurred as a result of those injuries, such as medical expenses and loss of earnings.

If you think you might have a medical / hospital negligence claim for compensation or simply want some further advice, please contact one of our medical and NHS negligence solicitors on 01895 207 835.

We cover the following areas:

• Hospital, NHS and private medical negligence claims
• GP negligence claims
• Dental negligence claims
• Faulty hip joint negligence claims
• PIP breast implant compensation claims