Medical negligence

Each year millions of people are treated for a wide range of conditions and are happy with the results of their treatment. They consider the service provided by the medical profession to be caring and efficient and this usually holds true in the vast majority of cases.

But like any walk of life things can go wrong. Doctors like everyone else are only human which means that they make mistakes. These mistakes can cause long term health problems or even be fatal.

The consequences of medical negligence can be devastating to both the victim and their family. These effects result in mental and emotional distress and may last for a lifetime.

If you or your family have experienced an illness or injury as a result of medical negligence then you may be able to claim compensation.

Medical negligence covers a wide range of claims which include:

• Accident and emergency claims
• Cancer claims
• Community health problem claims
• Dental claims
• Eye surgery claims
• Fatalities and inquests claims
• Faulty medical product claims
• Faulty medicine claims
• Female health claims
• General medical claims
• GP claims
• Hospital acquired infection claims
• Male health claims
• Mental health claims
• Nursing home claims
• Surgery claims

As you can see there are a wide range of claims to choose from. Some of these will appear more familiar than others but whatever your injury, there will be a personal injury lawyer or solicitor trained to handle your claim.

Sustaining an injury due to medical negligence can have a major impact upon your life. In the short term it may mean taking time off work which can lead to a drop in your earnings. This reduction in income then impacts upon your day to day finances and can result in financial hardship.

If you have a chronic injury or illness then you may require ongoing care and support, various forms of medication and specialist treatment, e.g. physiotherapy. None of this is cheap and places an additional burden upon you.

There is the stress of having to cope with an injury or illness plus the additional worry of paying for support or help which is not always easy to access.

This is where compensation can help. Whilst this money may never restore you to good health it can go a long way to recompensing you for the pain, stress and financial losses caused by the act of negligence.

It is important that you choose a solicitor or personal injury lawyer who is experienced in these claims and will handle your case with sympathy and understanding.

A claim can be made whether you have received treatment on the NHS or have ‘gone private’.

Find out more about medical negligence claims in this section.