Best Misdiagnosis Claims Solicitors in Liverpool

When we are ill, we put faith in the knowledge and experience of our medical practitioners and trust that they will give us the best possible care. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and many patients have had their trust misplaced due to medical misdiagnosis.

With conditions such as cancer, heart attacks or meningitis, correct diagnosis and treatment is crucial to giving the patient a chance. Sadly, these are some of the commonly misdiagnosed conditions, as their symptoms can sometimes be hard to determine; but if you believe your diagnosis (or lack of) was due to negligence on the part of your healthcare professional, you may be entitled to a medical negligence claim. Whether your condition has been misdiagnosed, delayed or missed altogether, its impact can leave you wondering where to seek help.

Medical Negligence Direct has a strong track record when it comes to medical negligence claims and have helped many victims of misdiagnosis to seek justice and secure the compensation they deserve. A free, no obligation initial consultation with one of our friendly solicitors will quickly establish whether you have a valid claim for misdiagnosis and, if this is the case, we will fight for you with all our knowledge and experience to get the best possible outcome.

Do I Have a Claim?

You may have a claim for misdiagnosis if:

• Your treatment has been delayed due to a less serious concern
• You have received unnecessary surgery due to incorrect diagnosis
• You have suffered stress or trauma as a result of incorrect diagnosis
• Diagnosis has been missed altogether

Get in touch with us as soon as possible if your situation fits any of the categories above. Our specialist misdiagnosis claims solicitors will evaluate your claim and let you know whether there is a reasonable chance of success.

Who Can I Make a Misdiagnosis Claim Against?

In the UK, medical misdiagnosis claims can be made against a range of practitioners and medical institutions, including:

• A GP
• NHS
• Private healthcare facility

If you have been a victim of misdiagnosis while under NHS care, you can lodge a complaint against the NHS service. This complaint will be handled by the NHS Resolution, and will likely be settled out of court. With our team of expert medical negligence solicitors, we walk hold you by the hand through this process and do everything to ensure you have a great chance of success.

What Can I Claim for?

If, having assessed your case, we believe you have grounds for a claim, we will help you determine what can be included in your compensation. General damages — compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity — are the most common financial settlements. It is calculated by considering factors such as the nature of your injury, impact on your life, length of recovery, and the pain and suffering due to misdiagnosis.

You may also be able to claim for loss of earnings if you have been unable to work as a result of the injury, as well as any out of pocket expenses incurred as a result of the misdiagnosis you suffered. Our medical negligence solicitors will give you an estimate of what you can expect for your case.

Contact Us

At Medical Negligence Direct, we are passionate about helping victims of medical misdiagnosis seek justice and appropriate compensation. Based in Liverpool, we work with clients across the UK, and offer a free initial consultation and a No Win No Fee service if we believe you have grounds for a claim. Call us today on 0800 644 4240 or complete our online claims assessment form and one of our friendly solicitors will get back to you.

A Guide to Medical Negligence Compensation Claims by Medical Negligence Direct

The UK healthcare system is one of the finest and most respected in the world. However, mistakes can occur in almost any medical setting, including clinics and hospitals and, when things go wrong with healthcare, it can have very devastating and far reaching effects. It can severely affect the physical, financial and emotional state of the victim.

The good news is that you can make a claim for negligence if a healthcare professional has breached their care of duty by providing substandard care to a patient, which has caused injury. However, you must be able to determine whether or not medical negligence has occurred before making a claim.

WHEN HAS MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE OCCURRED?
Medical Negligence can be complex, so knowing if you have suffered negligent care can be hard sometimes. Did the doctor breach his/her duty of care or was it one of those inevitable things? Let us start by defining what medical negligence really is. Medical Negligence occurs when a healthcare professional fails to provide appropriate standard of care, causing illness or injury to the patient. This may mean causing injury or illness due to substandard care, or worsening a pre-existing medical condition.

Medical negligence can occur in several different forms, which can include, but not limited to:

1. Misdiagnosis:

This occurs when a healthcare provider diagnosis a particular condition, when the patient has a different one. Misdiagnosis could also occur when the medical professional fails to diagnose a patient’s condition, since this could delay the correct diagnosis and treatment of a patient. Contact to our Misdiagnosis Claims Solicitors for make a claims.

2. Incorrect Treatment:

Sometimes, misdiagnosis can cause a healthcare provider to administer a wrong drug, prescription or treatment. When incorrect treatment is administered, it not only fails to provide relief for the patient’s condition, but can worsen the illness or injury in some cases.

3. Prescription Error

A doctor or nurse can be responsible for the type, quantity, and mode of administration of a medication for his/her patient. If they make a mistake about the type of drug to be prescribed, dosage to be administered, or the mode of administration, the patient may be able to pursue claim for negligence. Prescription error could also occur if bad handwriting causes the patient harm. Luckily, band handwriting problems are increasingly rare as most healthcare providers now use computer systems.

4. Surgical Errors

Mistakes are sometimes made during a surgical procedure or operation. Surgery is meant to provide relief to any pain a patient is experiencing, but the opposite can happen sometimes, and mistakes can be made by a medical professional. These mistakes may either mean that the initial problem isn’t fixed or that the pre-existing condition has been worsened. Surgical Errors could include performing an operation on the wrong part of the body, damaging certain organs or forgetting surgical equipment inside the patient’s body.

WHAT NEXT?
If you believe you have been a victim of medical negligence and are considering pursuing a claim for compensation, then you should consider the following important elements that impact medical negligence.

1. Breach of Duty: Your medical negligence solicitors can help you determine whether your experience meets the criteria for negligent care. To achieve this, they must prove that you received substandard care, and that this care has directly resulted in or contributed to an injury, or worsened an existing injury.

2. Time Limits: Strict time limits apply when it comes to pursuing a medical negligence claim. Generally, claimants have three years from the date of the injury or the date of knowledge, to make a claim. Though this time limit usually begins from the date the negligent act occurred, it may sometimes be obvious at a much later time after the negligence.There are also exceptions to the three-year time limit. If the medical negligence affects a child under 18 or a mentally disabled patient, the time limit begins when the child turns 18 and when the patient recovers from the disability respectively. If this is a permanent disability, family members may help such one make a claim for compensation.

3. Compensation: A range of factors determine the amount of compensation you can be awarded. These factors can include the extent of illness or injury, the impact it has had on your life, the impact it would have on your future, and any expenses that you have incurred as a result of the illness or injury.

How to Make a Medical Negligence Claim? Medical Negligence Direct

Making a Medical Negligence Claim can feel like a complex and daunting project, but with the right knowledge and support, the process can be quite straightforward and hassle-free. If you believe you have suffered damage as a result of the negligent behavior of a healthcare professional, you may be entitled to claim for compensation.

This article is designed to help you understand what it takes to make a medical negligence claim, and how medical negligence solicitors can walk you through the process to give you the best chance of a favorable outcome.

STEPS TO MAKING A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM

• Contact a Medical Negligence Solicitor

Medical law is arguably one of the most complicated aspects of law as it largely relies on unbiased medical expert reports which solicitors cannot control. The first step to making a medical negligence claim is to contact a solicitor. The solicitor will request for all relevant records and documents for your case, and determine if it is strong enough to make a claim. This step is important as it takes the worry and stress associated with handling such cases. Medical negligence solicitors are used to these cases and will prepare your claim for the proceedings that follow.

• Letter of Notification

In NHS medical negligence claims, a letter of notification will be sent to the NHS Trust as soon as medical negligence is established by your solicitor. This letter is aimed at giving the defendant a ‘heads-up’ that you intend pursuing a claim, and gives them an opportunity to seek early resolution.

• Submitting Your Claim

Following the notification submitted to the NHS Trust, your solicitor will submit a letter of claim which sets the facts right in clear details, including the precise errors in the alleged breach of duty. The letter will also include facts about how the injury has affected you or your loved one’s health, and the level of compensation you seek.

• The Defendant’s Response

Once your claim is sent to the defendant, they must respond within 4 months. The response will either be to admit responsibility and offer compensation or deny negligence. Depending on the defendant’s response, your solicitor will advise you on what the next course of action should be.

• Trial in Court

If the defendant’s response is not satisfactory, your medical negligence solicitor can initiate court proceedings. A ‘Particulars of Claim’ will be drafted and submitted to the relevant local court, and the defendant will have to respond within 28 days. The court will notify both parties involved of a court hearing date, which will usually be around 18 months from the date of the defendant’s response to the proceedings.

However, most claims that reach this stage are usually settled out of court before the eventual trial.

• Pre-trial Settlement

As you await the trial in court, your solicitor will negotiate on your behalf to agree on a settlement fee. An agreement is usually reached at this stage, and if this happens in your case, there will be no more need for a court trial.

• Court Hearing

If an agreement cannot be reached before the trial date, the hearing will go on as scheduled. With a specialist medical negligence solicitor behind you, you can still rest assured of a chance of success. Your solicitor will use the medical negligence claim calculator to determine how much your claim could be worth, and this figure will be used both during the negotiation process and court proceedings to get you the compensation you deserve.

Funding a Medical Negligence Claim

There are different funding options for medical negligence claims in the UK. These include using legal expenses insurance, legal aid, and the medical negligence no-win no fee agreement. The no-win no-fee agreement is the most common option as you wouldn’t have to pay any legal fees at the beginning of the claim. This agreement requires that you only contribute towards the expenses if your claim is successful.