Medical negligence is an area of law which falls under the umbrella of personal injury, a legal term to describe an injury to your person or body, in any form. The majority of personal injury claims involve accidents of some sort, either in work or on the road, at home or on holiday where the injured person claims another party is responsible. A medical negligence solicitor is someone who will get involved on your behalf when the accident or personal injury is caused by the medical or dental profession.
Doctors, surgeons, and other medical staff are under huge pressure these days, working long hours and doing shift work while trying to have a life, like the rest of us. Mistakes happen in all lines of work however When it comes to our health, if a mistake causes serious injury or even death, then someone has to be accountable. Clinical neglect claims are very difficult and it may not be in your best interest to pursue one. In this article, we will try to ascertain when you might need a medical negligence solicitor.
Medical negligence can happen in any number of ways as it is essentially the inability of a medical professional to provide a certain level of care to a patient and because of that lack of care, the patient has suffered.
Some of the ways where that duty of care may fail are the misdiagnosis and the proper course of treatment is then not administered to the patient. The wrong medication being given out where a nurse or doctor have not paid enough attention to that patient’s particular ailment and have failed to monitor their progress or lack of.
Serious medical neglect would include unnecessary surgery or surgery on the wrong part of the body as well as anesthetist errors. Failing to advise patients of potential risks of particular treatments as well as failing to inform about all available options regarding treatment can all be included in medical neglect.
Problems in pregnancy or during childbirth that you feel were caused by lack of attention are all neglect and are all situations where you can claim compensation for how you were treated.
If you believe you have a case where you have suffered because of failings on the part of the medical profession, you should contact a medical negligence solicitor as soon as possible, as the facts surrounding the case will still be fresh and clear in your mind. You do have up to three years, however, to pursue a case if you are undecided about whether to proceed or not.
Medical negligence claims are not straight forward. Medical establishments can close ranks quickly as they do not like to see one of their own involvement in this type of case. Admission of neglect can ruin a doctor or surgeon who has spent years training not to mention the cost of college. This is all the more reason for consulting with an experienced medical negligence solicitor who will know how to initiate the complaints procedure.