Top 5 most common medical negligence claims
Posted on 13th October 2021
Our NO WIN NO FEE medical negligence solicitors discuss the top 5 most common medical negligence claims that we see, and how we can help. Contact us today.
When it comes to medical negligence claims, there are a huge variety of claims that can be made for different types of negligent medical care. In this post, our medical negligence solicitors have run through some of the most common types of medical negligence claims that we work on with our clients, how they work, and how we can help:
1. Medical Misdiagnosis:
With the huge number of different injuries and health conditions that certain symptoms can be signs of, and the growing pressure on medical staff and doctors to see more patients in given time frames, there is no denying that the number of medical misdiagnosis claims being made is a growing problem across the country.
A recent article even suggested that one in six patients treated by NHS doctors and in NHS hospitals experienced medical misdiagnosis of some form.
There are a number of medical misdiagnosis claims that can be made with our specialist medical negligence solicitors, including:
Where a patient is given an incorrect diagnosis
Where a diagnosis is delayed, or diagnostic tests and referrals are not completed in time
Where a condition goes undiagnosed despite symptoms being there
For a full overview of these different types of medical misdiagnosis claims, and how long you should wait before receiving diagnostic tests and scans, see this here.
While a medical misdiagnosis claim can be made for any medical condition that is misdiagnosed due to negligence on behalf of a medical professional, some of the most commonly misdiagnosed medical conditions include:
If you have suffered from a medical misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or missed diagnosis of any kind, and have suffered from further injury or illness as a result, you could be eligible to make a misdiagnosis medical negligence claim with our specialist medical negligence solicitors today. See a full overview of medical misdiagnosis claims, and how we can help, here.
Or, get in touch with our medical negligence solicitors today for a free, confidential, no-obligation discussion with a solicitor.
Medical misdiagnosis, a case study with MG Legal:
Here at MG Legal, our medical negligence solicitors have recently work on a case for a client who was subject to a medical misdiagnosis in her local A&E department. After several visits to the A&E department suffering with abdominal pain, our client was sent away with a suspected UTI, and given treatment, despite the medication clearly not working as she continued to return to A&E.
After getting no where with her A&E department, she decided to visit another hospital, where she was quickly diagnosed with advanced appendicitis, and further infection caused by the rupturing of the appendix.
After approaching MG Legal, we accepted her medical misdiagnosis claim on a NO WIN NO FEE basis, and got to work on building her claim. MG Legal instructed an appropriate medico-legal expert, a well renowned, and trusted Consultant in Emergency Medicine.
Because fo the strength of the medical report obtained by MG Legal, and the robust way in which we build the medical misdiagnosis claim, the NHS admitted liability. It was then up to our medical negligence solicitor to value the claim at hand, and obtain the financial compensation on our client’s behalf.
2. Surgical Negligence:
Surgical negligence can occur when mistakes made during surgery or operations by medical practitioners can leave you with further injuries, pain, or suffering.
The acts of surgical negligence can be catastrophic for victims, including an operation being performed on the wrong body part, too much anaesthetic being administered, dangerous infection post-surgery due to improper after-care, or permanent nerve damage due to mistakes made during the operation.
Many of the more serious examples of surgical negligence are what are known as ‘never events’, meaning that they are serious mistakes that should never be made by a medical professional. However, these ‘never events’ in surgical negligence do happen, and maybe a lot more than you might think.
The most recent summary from NHS England shows 145 never events occurred in the three months between 1 April and 31 July 2021 including 87 categorised as wrong site surgery, 52 retained objects, and 18 misplaced naso- and oro-gastric tubes.
As you can see, these acts of medical negligence are often serious, and lead to high-value medical negligence claims being made by our clients. If you would like to make a surgical negligence claim with a no win no fee solicitor with an over 99% success rate, and over 30 years of experience in claims just like yours, then do not hesitate to contact MG Legal today, here, and have a free, no-obligation chat with a solicitor about your potential NO WIN NO FEE claim.
Surgical Negligence - a case study with MG Legal:
MG Legal’s medical negligence solicitors recently settled a surgical negligence claim on behalf of our client whose artery was cut as a result of a surgical error during an ear operation, affecting his facial function.
After reaching out to us, we accepted the claim on a NO WIN NO FEE basis, and began to work on the surgical negligence claim. We worked with a specialist ear, nose, and throat surgeon to produce a comprehensive medical report on our client’s injuries, which concluded that he had suffered facial weakness as a complication of his ear surgery, and that the care that he received was below that expected for a reasonable body of practitioners.
In order to strengthen the surgical negligence claim further, our medical neglience solicitors contacted a renowned clinical psychologist to provide a psychologist report on how the incident had affected our client, which when combined, led to the defendant agreeing to settle the case out of court, and our client received £15,000 in damages.
3. Prescription Errors:
Prescription errors can be extremely dangerous, and can cause permanent damage to the health and well-being of a patient. Prescription errors can fall into a number of different categories, including:
The incorrect medication being prescribed for the condition
A patient being given a medicine that they are allergic to
The incorrect dosage of a medication being prescribed
In prescription error claims, mistakes can be made at one of two stages. Either, the mistake can be made by the doctor or GP who prescribes the medication, or a mistake can be made by the pharmacist dispenses your medication.
Either way, this could make you eligible to make a prescription error claim for medical negligence, and obtain financial compensation.
To learn more about prescription error claims, and how MG Legal can help you to make a successful prescription error claim, see this here. Or, if you would like to speak directly with a medical negligence solicitor about your potential prescription error claim, then get in touch with our team online, here, and speak to a solicitor within one working hour.
Prescription errors- a case study with MG Legal:
Recently, MG Legal’s medical negligence solicitors settled a claim for a client who was prescribed a much higher dosage of his regularly prescribed medication, due to a prescription error which involved the medical notes of two patients being mixed up.
After becoming extremely lethargic and run-down, our client’s family recognised that his prescription was incorrectly labelled, and our client was in fact taking twice the amount of medication he had taken previously, as a result of the mix up. After our client got in touch with our medical negligence solicitors, we quickly accepted his NO WIN NO FEE prescription error claim, and got to work in building his medical negligence claim.
As a part of this process, our client’s designated medical negligence solicitor arranged for a number of specialist medical reports to be prepared on our client’s behalf, including those from a General Physician, Consultant Haematologist, and Clinical Psychologist.
Because of the strength of these reports obtained by MG Legal, our client was able to achieve a significant amount of compensation in his prescription error claim, an amount that was around 10 times the sum than was offered to him initially for his negligent treatment. Our instruction was again, on a no win no fee basis, and our client was very happy indeed with the outcome.
4. Hospital Negligence:
With so much happening in hospitals, there is a lot of room for medical error. When you receive treatment in hospital for an injury or illness, you might see countless medical professionals and doctors, from the time that you walk in the door, to when you are eventually discharged.
If, at any point during this time, you receive negligent care of any kind, or a medical mistake is made regarding you and your treatment, you could be eligible to make a hospital negligence claim.
Some common examples of successful hospital negligence claims that our solicitors specialise in, include:
Hospital negligence claims can be important not just to compensate yourself for the negligent care, but also as a way of ensuring that the same mistakes are not made again by the hospital or medical facility at hand, and making sure that the proper investigations are carried out.
If you believe that you or your loved one have received negligent care at the hands of a medical professional in a hospital, no matter what this involved, then our medical negligence solicitors are here to help. Simply get in touch online, here, to begin your hospital negligence claim today. Remember, MG Legal are no win no fee solicitors, specialising in medical negligence compensation.
Hospital Negligence- a case study with MG Legal:
Our medical negligence solicitors recently worked with a client who was making a hospital negligence claim for a surgical error caused by the hospital failing to carry out a scan before the operation. During her ear surgery, the surgeon had to cut into the area around the ear, which runs the risk of severing several facial nerves and also important blood vessels, and he was unaware of the unique shape of our clients inner ear.
After accepting our client’s NO WIN NO FEE hospital negligence claim, we got to work on building the claim, and a medical expert, an ENT Consultant, was approached to review the notes and provide a report.
This expert report stated that the lack of any scan of the area had led directly to the surgeon who operated on Mrs M failing to identify an unusually placed structure, which meant that when cutting into what would have been the correct area on most patients, was the wrong area for Mrs M. The surgeon had managed to sever both nerves and blood vessels, which caused the facial weakness and the profuse bleeding.
Initially, the defendant, in the form of the hospital involved, denied liability, and we discussed with our client the process of taking the claim to court. This can be daunting for clients, but our no win no fee medical negligence solicitors always take the time to discuss everything with our clients, explain their options, and talk them through what will happen.
After we took the hospital negligence claim to court, not being satisfied with simply settling the case, our medical negligence solicitor negotiated forcefully and obtained an offer at the top end of the range, ensuring that Mrs M not only got the justice she deserved in the hospital conceding fault, but that she received the best possible compensation for the injuries she suffered. At MG Legal, the aim of our no win no fee solicitors, is not only to assist our client's to obtain maximum compensation, but also to stop the medical negligence from happening again.
5. Wrongful Death Claims:
Unfortunately, in some instances, medical negligence and negligent medical care can lead to the wrongful death of patients. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is a difficult experience in any circumstances, but it can be made even more painful for families who have lost a relative due to them not receiving the correct care or diagnosis for their illness or injury.
Wrongful death compensation claims can be made under the Compensation Act by the family of a deceased person. This can be done by any family member who is classed as a ‘dependant’ of the person who has passed away.
All of the acts of medical negligence discussed above, including medical misdiagnosis, prescription errors, surgical negligence, and hospital negligence can lead to a wrongful death caused by medical negligence.
Here at MG Legal, our medical negligence solicitors understand that the time after losing a loved one can be a difficult, emotional, and even frustrating time. Because of this, your designated solicitor will act with sensitivity to guide you through the process and make it as easy as possible for you and your family.
If you would like our help with your wrongful death medical negligence claim, or simply to speak to an expert solicitor for a no-obligation chat regarding your potential case, get in contact online, here, or via email at enquiries@mglegal.co.uk for a free, confidential discussion.
Tagged as: Medical Negligence
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