Hospital Negligence Claims

What is a hospital negligence claim?

Hospitals are large and busy places, and unfortunately things can sometimes go wrong. But what is classed as hospital negligence?

Some of the most common examples include:

• Anaesthetic problems
  ‘Anaesthesia awareness’ happens when anaesthesia is not administered correctly. This can be extremely traumatic as patients may still feel the pain of the procedure they’re undergoing.
• Birth injuries
  When mistakes are made before, during or after childbirth, the consequences can be devastating. If you or your child were injured, our hospital negligence lawyers could help you.
• Hospital infections
  Thankfully, the rate of hospital infections has declined as most hospitals implement strict hygiene standards. But infections like MRSA still occur. If you were infected with a ‘superbug’ like MRSA while in hospital, you could claim.
• Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
  If you were misdiagnosed or your diagnosis was delayed, you could be owed compensation. This is because the later a diagnosis is received, the less effective treatment will be.
• Surgical errors
  Most surgeries come with some risk, which should be discussed with you before your operation. But if your surgeon acted negligently and you were injured as a result, you could take legal action.

If none of the examples listed above apply to you, our hospital negligence solicitors may still be able to help.

Get in touch with our expert team for a free initial chat.

We’ll ask a few straightforward questions about your situation and let you know if you could have a case for compensation.

Can I make a hospital negligence claim?

If you experienced hospital negligence in the last three years, you may be able to claim against the hospital or trust responsible for your care.

But to do this, you’ll firstly need to prove that the hospital failed in their duty of care towards you, and that this directly led to your injury or illness.

Your solicitor will help you gather evidence – including medical records and witness accounts – to support your claim. So you won’t need to do this alone.

The process for making a claim will be different depending on whether you’re claiming against an NHS or private hospital. But in both cases, our solicitors will support you on a No Win No Fee basis.

This means there will be no financial risk to you if you decide to go forward with a claim.

Hospital negligence claim FAQs

How much compensation for hospital negligence can I claim?

Hospital negligence payouts will vary depending on the situation. Your solicitor will look at the extent of your pain and suffering, as well as how you’re likely to be affected in the future.

If your case is successful, your compensation will be split into two sections: general damages and special damages.

General damages* will consider the pain you’ve experienced – both physically and emotionally – as a result of the negligence you suffered.

This part of your compensation will also take into account any lifestyle changes you’ve had to make, like giving up a favourite hobby or pastime.

Special damages will cover the financial impact of the hospital’s negligence. This might include lost earnings if you’ve had to take time off work to recover, or the cost of transport to medical appointments.

*For an idea of how much your claim could be worth in general damages, try our free compensation calculator.

I think I have a hospital negligence claim – what should I do?

Before taking legal action, make sure to seek the appropriate medical attention.

We understand you might be hesitant to do this after being let down by hospital staff, but it’s important that your initial condition and new injury or illness are treated effectively.

Next, you might consider starting a claim. Our knowledgeable team can help you make the first step.

We’ll speak to you about what happened and if we think you have a claim, you’ll have the option of speaking to one of our medical negligence solicitors.

It will be entirely up to you whether you’d like to go forward with a claim after speaking to us. We’ll never pressure you either way.

If you’re ready to find out more about making a hospital negligence claim, get in touch with us.

You can reach us by phone or by filling in our quick and easy online form.