Claiming For Clinical Negligence With A Compensation Lawyer
If a person believes that they have been injured as a result of negligence treatment by a doctor or other medical professional then they may be entitled to make a claim with the help of a compensation lawyer. Medical professionals have what is known as a duty of care towards the patients they are treating. This means that they should take proper care of the patient, acting correctly. Some of the most commonly occurring examples of clinical negligence are maternity errors, delayed diagnosis and poorly performed surgery.
Enlisting a compensation lawyer is not a necessity for every single victim of medical negligence. Many patients, particularly those who suffered only minor problems, are happy enough to receive an apology and some sort of guarantee that the same problem will not happen again to another patient. This is why it is a good idea to begin with making a complaint informally rather than jumping right in with legal action. If this is something the patient doesn’t feel able to do or it does not provide an appropriate resolution then they may make a formal complaint. Each and every health trust and doctors surgery will have its own procedure for making formal complaints. Also, there are independent authorities such as PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) which can be of assistance. Many times an apology will result from a complaint and perhaps a small amount of financial compensation.
If a patient does not feel that his or her complaint has been resolved after the formal complaint process then they may wish to speak with a compensation lawyer. The compensation lawyer will help the patient to obtain their medical records, have them reviewed by an independent medical professional and come to a decision about whether there is a case. To be successful, the compensation lawyer has to prove that there was negligence and that it contributed directly to the injury, which otherwise wouldn’t have happened.
Solicitors will normally advise on how strong a case the patient has and begin legal proceedings on their behalf. Time limits dictate that claims must be launched within three years of the event, or within three years of it becoming apparent if injury wasn’t immediately obvious. It is relatively easy to find a compensation lawyer prepared to take on a case on a no win no fee basis.
Tags: Apology, clinical negligence, compensation lawyer, Diagnosis, Doctors, Duty Of Care, Financial Compensation, Formal Complaint, Formal Complaints, Health Trust, Independent Authorities, Maternity, medical negligence, Medical Professionals, Medical Records, Norm, Pals, Patient Advice And Liaison Service, solicitors