What is Medical Negligence – a guide

Short answer: Medical negligence occurs when a healthcare professional does something or fails to do something which leads to you or a loved one suffering an avoidable injury or illness. There are many scenarios in which medical negligence can occur and some of these are explored below.

Long answer: When you attend your GP or hospital for either routine or emergency care, you expect that the health professionals involved in your care will deliver that care to a reasonable standard.

All health professionals owe their patients a duty to exercise reasonable care when providing treatment. Medical negligence occurs when that duty of care is breached and the conduct of the health professional falls below the expected standard.

Medical negligence can occur in many different situations, with some of the most common examples being as follows:

a) Misdiagnosis – the health professional may provide an incorrect diagnosis for an illness or injury. This can result in incorrect treatment being provided with the actual underlying injury or illness remaining undetected.

b) Delayed Diagnosis – the health professional may fail to diagnose an injury or illness which, given the full clinical picture, a reasonable health professional should have been able to diagnose.

c) Referrals – the health professional may fail to make the appropriate referral to a specialist for further investigations and/or treatment. This is often due to the severity of the injury or illness not being fully appreciated.

Read our blog post relating to this – https://www.astonknightsolicitors.co.uk/support-for-family-following-the-tragic-loss-of-a-loved-one-due-to-missed-opportunities-to-diagnose-cancer/

d) Incorrect treatment – the health professional may provide treatment which does not fall within the reasonable range of treatment options available.

e) Substandard treatment – the health professional may provide treatment which, although a reasonable treatment option, is carried out to an unreasonable standard. This would include surgical errors.

These common examples of medical negligence can result in the original injury or illness going undetected for a prolonged period and a worsening of the injury or illness. They can also result in new and additional injury or illness being suffered and in more extreme cases can even result in death.

If you receive medical treatment which results in you suffering an injury, illness or the worsening of your condition, it is only fair that you should be compensated for both your past and future losses. Such losses may include avoidable pain and suffering as well as any financial losses you have incurred (such as loss of earnings, treatment expenses, etc).

At Aston Knight Solicitors we are regularly contacted by clients who have experienced the effects of negligent care provided by their GP or hospital.

If you suspect you have received substandard medical treatment and you would like a free consultation to discuss your options, please call Aston Knight Solicitors today on 0161 399 1231 or click the ‘Contact’ button above to submit an online enquiry and one of our dedicated Solicitors will contact you to discuss your claim further.