Most medical and nursing treatment in the UK is of a high standard, and most health service staff are dedicated professionals delivering excellent care. Nevertheless, not everything always goes to plan and, when deadlines and budgets are tight, mistakes can happen.

If you have been injured following medical treatment, you may have a right to compensation. However, medical negligence cases are always fiercely defended so, without specialist support, your chance of success will be limited. The medical negligence team at Thompsons deals exclusively in these cases and has a wealth of experience in this specialist area of law.

There are many types of medical negligence, and injuries can be the result of problems during labour, misdiagnosis, surgical errors or human error. Whatever your situation, our team of specialists will support you through every step of your claim.

 

Why Thompsons?

Our dedicated team includes medical negligence solicitors who are members of the Law Society’s Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme and of the Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) referral panel.

We also work closely with specialist support groups such as Headway, the brain injury association, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL),The Spinal Injuries Association and the Limbless Association.

At Thompsons, we only work for the victims of accidents and injuries. As a matter of principle, we never represent insurance companies or employers. Our team works hard to ensure that our clients get the right amount of compensation in every claim, and we have seen some record settlements over the years.

 

Our offices

Thompsons has a dedicated team of experienced medical negligence solicitors that will support you through every step of your legal claim.

With a network of offices that covers all corners of the country, you can be assured that we are near you when you need us most. Our team can visit you at home, in hospital or wherever is convenient to you.

 

Making a medical negligence compensation claim

 

The first step is to make a complaint to the hospital or the healthcare provider involved. If you have not already done this, we can advise you on how to do so.

The NHS and most private care providers have set procedures for investigating complaints. They respond to letters of complaint after investigating your grievance and discussing it with the staff involved.

Having some explanation for what occurred is usually the first step in building your medical negligence claim.

To make a successful claim for compensation, we need to prove that others were to blame for your injury. The stronger the evidence, the stronger your claim.

We will investigate the circumstances surrounding what happened to you and may need reports from independent medical experts.

Medical staff work in teams and they are very hesitant to openly blame colleagues, even if they believe them to be at fault. However, independent expert witnesses can identify poor practice and work that falls short of professional standards.

We will also, where relevant, get help from experts on rehabilitation, care needs, adaptations that need to be made to your home, occupational therapy, assistive technology and special transport needs.

In the UK, there is a standard time limit of three years from the date of your injury, or the date you could first have reasonably established that your symptoms were caused by medical negligence, in which a claim for compensation can be made. It is always best to seek legal advice as soon as possible so that a solicitor can thoroughly prepare your claim and, where appropriate, apply for interim payments (money upfront) to help ease the financial strain during your treatment if you are unable to work.

Some exceptions to the time limit do exist, and special rules apply for children or adults who lack legal capacity, but it is always best to take legal advice as soon as possible.

Our team will help individuals and their families make a claim to cover medical treatment, rehabilitation, changes in lifestyle and the financial impact of the injury. We will also obtain expert medical reports on your injuries to support a claim for pain and suffering.

You may be entitled to claim for loss of earnings to cover time off work, to support you if you are unable to return to work or if you have to take a drop in wages to carry out a less-physical role.

We can also help you claim all travelling expenses incurred because of an injury, including those of close relatives visiting you in hospital. Keeping receipts always helps support your claim.

Adapting your surroundings to allow you to function as normally as possible can be expensive, but your claim for compensation can cover the costs of rehabilitation aids/equipment you may need, as well as an adapted car or home to meet your needs.

You may be entitled to state benefits. While these claims are made separately to your claim for compensation, Thompsons can provide advice, or you can contact your local Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) office.

We're here to help

If you or a loved one have suffered as a result of medical negligence, you may be entitled to make a compensation claim. Get in touch via our online enquiry form for free, no-obligation advice and to discuss your case.

Call us on 0800 0 224 224

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