Can I Sue My Doctor For Negligence?

Yes, you can. If a doctor gets your treatment wrong and it causes injury or worsens your symptoms, you can sue for doctor negligence. You can also sue a doctor on behalf of your relatives who lost their lives as a result of negligence.

At MedicalNegligenceDirect, solicitors have helped many people recover compensation for injuries caused by negligent medical professionals. They are here to offer you the medical negligence advice you need to pursue your claim.

If you have a strong claim against your doctor our no win no fee policy can help you get started. This means you can start right away to beat the time limit for claims. This conditional fee agreement enables you to fight for your right even if you have no financial support or insurance. Suing a hospital for negligence requires proof, and sometimes you can sue both parties, the hospital and its medical staff. 

We should sue to prevent such medical errors from reoccurring. Medical negligence should not be taken for granted because lives can be lost in the process. Reach out to us to begin your claim by taking an initial free assessment. 

How To Know If Your Doctor Has Been Negligent

We feel confident under the care of medical professionals because we expect them to act professionally to handle our condition. Medical professionals and healthcare providers have an obligation to provide an acceptable level of care. This means that they should give the correct prognosis and the right treatment for patients to get better.

No matter how you trust your GP, you may still ask if you can sue your doctor for negligence. Absolutely, because sometimes unplanned mistakes happen which are not the fault of patients. Doctors are always careful to follow the right medical procedures but sometimes an error can make them fall short of a high standard of care. 

When this happens it can lead to injury, illness or even wrongful death. If a doctor behaves negligently in carrying out his duties, this can land him and the hospital into medical malpractice. Therefore, to know if your doctor has been negligent he must have failed in his duty of care.

What Is Considered As Doctor Negligence?

Doctor negligence is an act of carelessness by a medical doctor that falls below the accepted standard of medical care. This act has to directly cause harm to a patient by making their medical conditions worse. If you experience poor treatment, you can sue a hospital, a doctor, nurse, surgeon or other medical professional.

As a medical doctor or surgeon, a patient can sue you or the hospital you work with if an error causes harm to patients. Whenever a medical professional fails to act with reasonable caution and falls short of the standard of medical care, it can be termed negligence. Doctor negligence describes an act of omission by a medical doctor who strays from the best practices in health care. 

Doctor negligence occurs when:

• A Doctor Misreads Your Test Results.
• A Doctor Misdiagnoses Your Condition.
• A Doctor Makes A Patient’s Condition Worse By Not Treating Them Correctly.
• A Doctor Delays Your Correct Diagnosis.
• A Doctor Violates Other Medical Standards Of Care.

What To Do If Your Condition Gets Worse After Seeing A Doctor

If your condition has worsened as a result of negligent treatment, you can report the doctor for negligence. A patient that has been let down by gp negligence can sue for medical malpractice, a personal injury lawsuit. Before suing your GP or suing a hospital for medical negligence, you need to make a formal complaint.

This complaint should be done within 12 months of being aware of the negligent treatment. The complaint letter has to be addressed to the NHS Practice manager or the commissioning body. The NHS PALS on their website gives a guide on how to do this.

How To Prove Medical Negligence Claim Against Your Doctor Or GP?

If a doctor deviates from best practices while treating you, he can be held liable in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Other health care professionals like nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists, physiatrists, and therapists also have a legal duty to keep patients from harm. If you want to pursue a doctor negligence claim, you need sufficient proof. NHS or private healthcare negligence claims require evidence that can help support your case.

• A doctor must have had initial contact with you as a patient. You can’t prove medical negligence where there was no patient-doctor relationship in the first place 
• A Doctor must have failed in his duty of care.
• His failure to act properly in medical care may have caused you avoidable injury.
• The Injury must have led to recoverable damages.

How Long Can You Wait To Sue For Malpractice Or Medical Negligence?

You do not really have to delay before suing your doctor for negligence. The earlier you begin your case, the brighter your chances of having a successful claim. you need to approach your solicitor who will know how best to assist you. At MND, lawyers are willing to listen to you, help you gather your evidence and start the negligence claims process.

Time Limits For Making A Doctor Negligence Claim

Normally, claims should be made within three years from the time a victim becomes aware of the negligent treatment. The only exceptions are where the claim involves a child or an adult who suffered an injury that makes him mentally unable to make claims.

If this is the case with you, also reach out to us for advice on what to do.

Steps To Making Your Doctor Negligence Claims

The process of making a claim against a medical doctor may seem tough. However, with the right legal advice and assistance you are well on your way to getting the compensation you deserve. Our solicitor will take you through the step-by-step process to recover the maximum compensation award for your injury.

Step 1- Contact Us.

Contact us on 0800 644 4240 now to arrange a call back to fully discuss your medical negligence claim. This is the first step to making a doctor’s negligence claims, so that your claims can be evaluated by one of our experts. They will also work hard to investigate your case to know if it is likely to succeed.

Step 2- Fund Your Claim.

After evaluating your claim, our solicitor will then give you a funding option. We usually make negligence claims on a no win no fee basis and there is no financial obligation to you. Other options are your home insurance and other legal insurance cover, but no win no fee is the most common way to fund your case.

Step 3- Collect All Medical Records.

Once we believe you have a strong case, we will go on to obtain all the available medical information and records pertaining to your treatment. All records will then be reviewed by our expert team to know whether or not your claim will be successful.

The respondent will also be notified about your intention to make a claim. They can admit their fault on time for early settlement.

Step 4- Prepare Experts Reports.

The next step is to instruct medical experts who specialize in the medical field to prepare reports concerning the case. In the case of doctor negligence, an expert doctor should be able to review the incident to know if there was a breach in his duty of care by the negligent doctor. If a medical expert witness is able to establish the fact that the medical care, or lack of care given to a patient was wrong, and could have been avoided then there is a chance your claim may succeed.

Step 5- Obtain More Supportive Proofs.

In some cases several reports may be needed and you may be required to obtain additional evidence. Gather as much information as you can that will further support your case and give you an edge. We will help you carry out further investigations to get more supportive evidence.

Step 6- Calculate The Value Of Your claim.

We will then value your claim by factoring in damages for your claim and suffering. We will also calculate the amount of settlement you can claim for both special and general damages including other expenses incurred.

Step 7- Present Your Claim To The Respondent.

At this stage, our solicitor presents your claim to the respondent after accessing all the supportive proofs that were gathered including expert opinions. We will then await a letter from the respondent to admit their mistake or defend their error.

Step 8- Consider Settlement.

If the respondent admits their fault in the letter of response, then a settlement can be reached. Both parties will then agree on the proper amount of compensation to  pay the victim. On the other hand, if the respondent denies their medical mistakes  we will then verify with the medical  expert witness if their testimony can still support your claim.

Step 9- Begin Court Proceedings.

If the respondent denies the claim, a settlement may not be reached which may lead to trial. Court proceedings will begin if the evidence is tested by a lawyer and properly examined to be true. If they are confident of the value of your claim then the case will proceed to court.

Step 10- Starting The Court Time Table.

Most medical negligence claims are usually settled out of court and may not lead to trial. The court sets a time table for the case just to encourage resolution. If the case still doesn’t reach settlement, a trial begins and a Judge will decide on the final resolution by determining your claim value. This happens in a few cases, as most cases don’t even get to trial before they are resolved.

Why Trust Medical Negligence Direct For Doctor Negligence Claims?

If a medical doctor made a costly error while you were undergoing treatment at the hospital, they should be held liable for their negligent actions for the safety of future patients. The occurrence of such avoidable medical mistakes is minimized if they do not get away with medical malpractice. 

With the help of our experienced solicitors, you can take legal action to prevent future harm to other patients. We are committed to help you get your life back and you won’t be charged until we win your case. 

The process can be very daunting as you cannot claim compensation all by yourself. We at MedicalNegligenceDirect.com can help you report a negligent doctor. If you are ready to make a claim against your doctor, we are also here to help you recover the maximum compensation award for your injury.