Doctors and healthcare professionals owe their patients a duty of care to provide the best standard of treatment and service. Unfortunately, medical staff occasionally do not perform with the competence that is expected, resulting in financial losses and a worsening of health issues. In law this is called clinical negligence, and is a common grounds for a compensation claim.
If you feel you have been the victim of clinical negligence, then I can help you navigate the case and get the support and compensation you need.
What is clinical negligence?
Clinical negligence occurs when a health care professional’s legal duty of care towards you is breached. In real world terms, this could be:
Sadly the results of clinical negligence are sometimes catastrophic. Failure to diagnose, care for and treat patients appropriately can lead to health problems and injuries getting worse, and additional problems arising. This prolongs your period of illness and also comes at a financial cost.
The cost of medical negligence
Complications and extended illness means more time off work, higher medical costs, cancelled plans, more inconvenience for you and your loved ones. Some people are put off making a clinical negligence claim because they don’t want to penalise the NHS. This is not the case. A claim does not punish a medical professional or institution; rather it compensates you for the losses you have experienced as a result of their mistakes.
When should you pursue a clinical negligence claim?
Clinical negligence is a complex area of law, so if you live in Leeds, you should first talk to injury lawyers such as ourselves to help determine whether or not negligence has occurred. For instance, many patients experience frustration as a result of service failures e.g. you are unhappy with your health care provider’s communication or facilities. This isn’t negligence unless it can be directly linked to financial or physical suffering on your part. In these cases you should follow the healthcare provider’s formal complaints procedure.
Likewise, sometimes the wrong treatment is prescribed or a misdiagnosis is made that is subsequently corrected. If this doesn’t result in financial loss or the worsening of the condition, then legally it is not clinical negligence.
On your side
Receiving inadequate care from a medical provider is frustrating and problematic enough. The last thing patients need is a drawn out, intimidating legal process on top of this. I’d like to set you at ease. In my own and Rebecca’s experience of successfully handling clinical negligence cases, our first priority is your well-being. You can be assured of a friendly, personable approach and that your case will be treated in the utmost confidence. As a no win no fee solicitor, you will also not be charged anything unless we can secure you the compensation you deserve.
For a free, informal chat, call us on 0113 357 1165, or request a call back through our enquiry form.
