Making Medical Negligence Compensation Claims

UK medical negligence law is a highly specialist and complex area and it should not be tackled on your own. If you don't want to face a huge stressful situation, be aware that only an expert can handle this area of Law properly. This person will be a specialist and qualified medical negligence lawyer.

Any practitioner of the medical profession has a duty of care towards their patients. If that duty is broken, the patient can be seriously injured for life or even die due to lack of proper treatment and care. This is termed 'medical negligence'. If you think you have suffered medical negligence, perhaps when you were in hospital, then you might be eligible to claim for compensation. Many hospitals will pay that compensation on behalf of negligence of anyone in their medical team.

But how do you know if your doctor, nurse or technician committed medical negligence? Well, the standard of care any doctor has to deliver is measured by taking as a reference what his or her colleagues would have done in the same circumstances. If fellow practitioners agree with what your doctor or nurse did, then it is unlikely they will be found negligent.

If you decide to make a claim, medical negligence law means you have to start the process within three years of the injury. However there are some exceptions to this rule which your medical negligence lawyer can help you with. In brief, the three year time limit does not apply:

-if the injured person was under 18 at the time of the negligence

-if your injury was not discovered until many years after it was provoked

-if the patient has mental illnesses - then there is no limit of time

-if the judge thinks it appropriate, he can extend the time. This is rare and only -put into consideration if it seems reasonable to do so.

The best advice if you suffered medical negligence is to find a specialist medical negligence lawyer who will support you in starting the claim process. They will gather the information, help with the witnesses, research independent doctors to asses and give evidence.

However, the process can take up to three years to complete and will almost certainly mean discussing highly personal material with your lawyer and an independent doctor. Consulting a medical negligence lawyer at an early stage will play a crucial role in providing valuable support.