Medical Negligence – what is it and how does it occur?

Even with this country’s high standards of health care, medical negligence – sometimes called clinical negligence –still occurs when the person looking after you (whether they’re a doctor, surgeon, nurse, or any other type of healthcare professional) breaches their duty of care – either through doing something wrong or neglecting to do something that would improve your health. This failure in meeting a professional level of care (in terms of according to the law and professional guidelines) can have serious results for their patients, which is where clinical negligence claims come in.

Which kinds of claims are included in medical negligence?

Mistakes giving rise to medical negligence are wide ranging, with the most common claims featuring one of the following reasons:

• Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis due to lack of attention or incorrect record keeping, as well as the prescription of incorrect medicines, doses, or treatment.

• Improper care being delivered due to lack of communication between different members of the medical staff.

• Procedures being carried out incorrectly during surgery or tests that could have a harmful effect on the patient at a later date.

• Performing procedures or carrying out treatment without the patient’s consent, or failing to fully inform the patient of all the risks and potential outcomes of treatment.

What’s the next step if you think you have a negligence claim?

The above list of potential reasons to claim for medical negligence is by no means exhaustive, and due to the wide range of situations where negligence can occur, it can often be difficult to prove that anything unprofessional has happened. This is why you need to seek legal advice from a law firm which specialises in these kinds of negligence cases – like us.

When it comes to medical negligence, the law is complex, and if the solicitor you choose doesn’t have a full understanding of medical and healthcare issues, they won’t be able to give you the best chance at winning your case; hospital notes, x-rays, reports and other medical documents have to be properly reviewed and understood when filing this type of claim, something which non-specialist firms may not be able to do.

Here at Bonallack and Bishop, not only are we a long established and Salisbury based law firm, but we we have a well est medical negligence team with many years of experience, headed by an accredited member of the Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel.

By appointing the team here at Bonallack and Bishop to run your medical compensation claim, you can be sure that your solicitor has both the experience and knowledge to take on and fully understand your medical negligence case – giving you the peace of mind that you simply won’t get from non-specialist law firms. Why go anywhere else?

Victim of medical negligence in Salisbury? Call our specialists today

Receiving negligent medical treatment can be traumatic – both physically and psychologically. For support in claiming the compensation you deserve, contact our specialist team today for FREE initial phone advice and a FREE first interview

• Email our Salisbury Solicitors at salisbury@bishopslaw.com

• Call our team on SALISBURY (01722) 4223000

• or fill in our online enquiry form