Medical Negligence Claims Guide: Essential Information for Patients

Medical negligence can occur in hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists and all areas of healthcare when treatment falls below an acceptable standard and causes avoidable harm. This guide brings together our most helpful articles describing all aspects of making a medical negligence claim. We discuss liability, evidence, time limits, compensation assessment and the steps involved in starting a claim.

If you’ve suffered an injury due to a medical mistake, this page provides a structured overview so you can quickly find the information most relevant to your situation.

How To Use Our Medical Negligence Claims Guide

If you suspect you have suffered injury as a result of medical negligence – we recommend you follow each heading in order.

Watch out – each heading in bold is a link to a detailed article. Simply roll on the heading and click to read our detailed article.

Following each article – you will be taken through everything you need to know to make a medical negligence claim.

We begin with what you must do immediately following a suspicion the clinical error has occurred and end with how to find and fund a specialist solicitor using various funding arrangements, including no win no fee agreements.

If you are already involved in a medical negligence claim – we suggest you read through each heading below and click on the link that best describes the stage you are at in the claims process. You will be taken to an article that will answer all the questions you are likely to have and tell you what to do next.

The Immediate Steps Before Starting A Medical Negligence Claim

The most common types of clinical negligence claim

Discover what clinical negligence actually is and the most common types of clinical negligence that can give rise to claims for personal injury in the UK.

The initial steps to proving your medical negligence claim for compensation

This page reveals what you should do if you are unhappy with the medical treatment you have received, the initial steps your solicitor will take to decide if you have a medical negligence claim and the importance of your medical records in proving your claim.

The NHS patient complaints process

How to make a formal and informal complaint about your medical treatment by an NHS healthcare provider before embarking on the clinical dispute resolution process.

The clinical dispute resolution process

The process you must follow to attempt to resolve your claim before having to go to court if you believe you have suffered injury from medical error by an NHS or private healthcare provider – ranging from GP’s and hospitals to dentists.

Compensation Payout Amounts For Medical Negligence Compensation

Calculating the amount of medical negligence compensation

Learn about the four main types of medical negligence compensation you can claim coupled with how your solicitor calculates the amount you should receive for your injuries. See examples of compensation amounts for some typical injuries.

NHS compensation payouts

Find out the ways to prove NHS negligence and how your solicitor calculates your compensation payout if your suffer injury as a result of clinical negligence by the National Health Service.

Types Of Clinical Negligence Claims

Informed medical consent hospital negligence claim

Discover what informed consent is and you must provide consent taking into account the risks prior to surgery or other intrusive hospital procedure taking place.

MRSA Claim

Find out how MRSA can be caught in a hospital or nursing home, the symptoms it displays and how to claim compensation for its effects.

Still birth miscarriage neo natal death claim

If you have been involved with hospital negligence which has led to a still birth, a miscarriage or neo natal death – find out how to claim compensation and the amount of compensation you can claim.

Selecting And Funding A Medical Negligence Lawyer

How to choose the best medical negligence solicitor to make your claim for compensation

Discover what a specialist medical negligence solicitor actually is, how to check your solicitor is a member of the Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme and the skills such membership brings.

How to fund the legal cost of making a medical negligence claim

Find out the legal costs involved in making a clinical negligence claim, how to use legal protection insurance, legal aid and no win no fee agreements to make your claim for clinical negligence as well as how the law differs in the various countries that make up the UK.

SUMMARY – Medical Negligence Claims & Next Steps

In summary – medical negligence claims can be complex. The correct approach not only depends on the specific error and injury, but also the medical setting involved. Our guide will have helped you understand the key issues, what evidence is needed, and how compensation is calculated.

NEXT STEPS

We recommend you see our common clinical negligence claims article to find out about the different types of compensation claim for medical injury.

Clinical Negligence Q&A / FAQ

See our clinical negligence online Q&A and FAQ to find answers to real-life and frequently asked medical negligence questions

FREE Initial Legal Help

We offer a range of specialist free telephone / online solicitor help options. You can not only call direct to our solicitors and ask a question, but also have your medical negligence claim assessed.