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Medical negligence is when a professional has breached their duty of care, giving their patients substandard diagnostics, advice or treatment. It has to be serious enough to cause the patient financial hardship or physical/mental trauma. To make a successful claim, you need to contact a medical negligence solicitor who must prove that the breach of duty of care directly caused the injury or loss, but this must be done within a three-year time limit from when the negligence occurred.
This guide will help you identify if you’ve been a victim of negligence from a medical professional, so you can start your claim and get the compensation you deserve.
Key Signs of Medical Negligence
Misdiagnosis
A doctor might fail to identify your condition or take too long, causing your health to worsen. This is one of the most common types of medical negligence, as healthcare professionals who lack experience might easily gloss over details or findings and then fail to diagnose them with a serious condition. This would make them liable for negligence, potentially costing their hospital or practice a lot of money.
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are preventable mistakes during procedures, such as wrong-site surgery, retained instruments or improper anesthesia. When this happens, it can result in long-term injuries, permanent disability or even worse. Considered never events often stem from poor communication or inadequate training, which need to be ironed out before someone even gets close to the surgical theatre. It’s important that you always make sure that your doctors are well-trained with high levels of experience, so you get the best chance of a smooth surgical procedure.
Incorrect Medication
Medication errors, including receiving the wrong medication or dosage, are common causes of patient harm. They usually occur during prescribing or administration and can lead to bad reactions that can lead to the user developing trauma. In these scenarios, the patient who took the medication can be liable to start a claim against a pharmacy for their lack of care in providing you with the wrong amount or type of medication.
Informed Consent
This type of negligence occurs when a medical professional does not provide a patient with sufficient information about a proposed treatment or procedure. They should always provide you with the risks, benefits and alternatives to whatever they’re giving you, as this allows you to make a fully informed decision about whether it’s right for you. If this failure results in physical or financial harm, it can lead to a medical negligence claim from an experienced solicitor like those at Been Let Down.
Poor Aftercare
If a healthcare provider fails to monitor a patient or provide good follow-up care after a procedure, it can lead to complications, including infection or worsening of the patient’s condition. This can impact your daily life, seriously affecting your mental or physical wellbeing. They should give you all the relevant advice for a smooth recovery and make regular checkups, so they can monitor your condition. If they don’t do this, you might be entitled to compensation.
