Compensation claims for medical or clinical negligence

Receiving negligent medical treatment is a serious matter. It can cause stress, pain and discomfort, and may have severe long-term implications on your health, work and lifestyle. Medical and clinical negligence are both terms that refer to poor treatment that you might have received from a health professional. Here we’ll talk you through some common questions and explain when you might be in a position to make a claim.

Ian Morris, Claims Expert

Chat with claims expert Ian Morris to see if you can claim for medical negligence.

Phone us on 01225 430285

Or we can call you back:

    What is medical negligence?

    Medical negligence is a term used to describe substandard care from a medical professional, particularly if this care has caused an existing health condition to get worse or resulted in an injury.

    This might be because of an operation that has gone wrong, because of unprofessional or poor-quality treatment, or because of a misdiagnosis with extremely serious consequences. There are many other examples.

    Medical negligence covers areas commonly related to the NHS or private medical treatment.

    What is clinical negligence?

    The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but it can be helpful to think of clinical negligence as covering more areas of healthcare than medical negligence.

    Clinical negligence encompasses everything from dental practice and physiotherapy to psychiatry, chiropractic and alternative medicine.

    Again, it relates to receiving treatment which has been negligent, neglectful or careless, and which has had serious negative consequences.

    Can I claim against the NHS?

    Yes, you can. The work done by the NHS changes millions of lives for the better, and treatment is typically carried out to an admirably high standard. However, in an organisation this large, cases of medical negligence do regrettably occur. If your quality of life has been severely impacted as the result of a mistake, you still have the right to compensation.

    It’s important to remember that a claim against the NHS is intended to help you return to the situation you were in had the negligent treatment not occurred. It would be wrong to see it as a cash-cow for benefitting financially.

    Regardless of who you’re claiming against – be it a private practice, the NHS, or even an individual health professional – the same principle of recompense applies. You have a legal right to receive the full level of compensation that you’re fairly due. We’re here to help you do that.

    How do I know if have a claim for negligence?

    Early on, this can be a tricky question to answer. Every case is individual and depends on factors such as the extent of the negligent treatment, the negative effects of the treatment, and your own medical history.

    In the first instance, feel free to get in touch to discuss the specifics of your own case. We’ll always be happy to give you honest, obligation-free advice about what would be the best course of action.

    The healthcare industry is an enormous one, incorporating any number of different conditions, diagnoses, and courses of treatment, so it’s not until hearing the particulars of a case that we can offer more clarity on your right to compensation.

    Some claims are very clear-cut – such as an operation going drastically wrong due to a pre-existing condition – whereas others require more evidence. In certain cases, it’s not until medical records have been released that it becomes clear how much liability is involved.

    A delayed or incorrect diagnosis, for example, does not necessarily make a claim. Many health conditions have symptoms that can be tricky to identify, even for professionals. However, if a misdiagnosis has resulted in rushed treatment with adverse side-effects, making the undiagnosed condition worse, or if a professional has overlooked clear evidence of a life-threatening disease such as cancer, then this can often lead to a claim.

    We’ve dealt with many claims for medical and clinical negligence over the years, so we’re in a strong position to share our advice and experience.

    Let us help

    Have you received negligent treatment? You’re in safe hands with Direct2Compensation. Our claims process is transparent and effective, and you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with our no-win, no-fee approach.

    To find out more, or to start your claim today, call us on 01225 430285. If you prefer, we can . After just a few minutes on the phone, we’ll have enough information to allow our solicitors to get your claim started.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Chat with us for friendly, expert advice 01225 430285