Medical Negligence Claims Against the NHS

The goal of compensation is to make up for the harm caused and return you, as far as possible, to your original position. It’s not about financial gain, but about making sure you are properly supported.

Also, by claiming compensation, you may even reduce the risk of the same negligence happening to someone else in future by highlighting the lack of suitable medical care.

Yes, if you are being treated by a medical institution that you wish to make a claim against, you can still continue treatment at the same institution.

You also have the right to treatment from a medical organisation that you have previously claimed against. Decisions about where to be treated should not be affected by a medical negligence claim.

We can’t directly affect any internal action against those responsible for medical negligence.

Claiming for compensation aims to put you back on track with your life as you were before you suffered injury due to medical negligence, as well as raise awareness so that others don’t suffer the same hardships as you in the future.

A medical negligence claim runs separately to any other form of action, and it’s the responsibility of other institutions and professional bodies to decide whether any action is taken directly against a medical professional.

The amount of compensation you could receive for a medical negligence claim against the NHS will differ from claim to claim. Factors that could influence how much compensation you could receive include the:

• Severity of your injuries
• Impact your injuries have on your life
• Future care and rehabilitation costs
• Financial losses you experience, such as loss of earnings.

Yes, by making a medical negligence claim, you are highlighting problems in the care and procedures in place in the NHS and helping to stop mistakes occurring in the future.

It’s common for the NHS Trust involved to start internal investigations to find out why and how the injury happened. This can lead to changes in procedures or protection to stop the same mistake happening again.

Making the decision to claim against the NHS can be hard, but if you have suffered as a result of medical negligence, then you may have a legal right to claim compensation to help improve your situation. You don’t have to do it alone. We’ve been through this process thousands of times before, and we can be there for you, too.

The General Medical Council (GMC) monitors each registered medical professional to determine whether they are fit to practice medicine. If the GMC investigates a medical professional, and the results show that the negligent act happened again, or that a life was endangered, then they may impose sanctions preventing them from practising.

We can talk you through how to make a complaint or referral to the GMC if appropriate.