Medical negligence

[KurriKurri]

How would I go about making a claim for medical negligence - googling seems to throw up various firms that do 'no win no fee' type services, but I have no way of telling whether they are any good. Is it better to go with one of these large companies or to look for a local business that specialises in medical negligence claims.

How much would it cost me to start proceedings (I am low income)

You will need to exhaust the institution's complaints procedure first, then go to a solicitor who is on the Law Society's Clinical Negligence list. Best of luck.

Thank you Millenium

Actually for medical negligence you don't need to exhaust their complaints procedure as it's entirely dependent on what type of claim it is. We are suing for birth mismanagement and never went through any claims procedure with the hospital as we were unaware how the mismanagement occurred.

A small local firm may not have the expertise you need, but it does depend on the type of case. Legal aid may be an option, but it depends on the case. As you haven't indicated what type of case it is it's difficult to comment.

Search the internet for reputable solicitors, preferably that specialise in the type of injury. DH developed a rare condition following accident at work and we couldn't find a local one but even though they were miles away, they were great. At first we went with a well known one that advertises on TV which I would NOT recommend.

Reading case studies is helpful also.

Thank you - useful information. I don't want to go into massive detail about my problems - but if you have seen in the news recebtly about complications people have had from mesh being used to repair hernias, it will give you some idea of the area.
My complaints are really twofold - the initial decision to use mesh (I wasn;t informed of possible complications, or given options)
And the treatment (ongoing) I have had to try to sort the problem out - which has involved misdiagnosis, innapropriate treatment, amongst other things.
Suffice it to say I have been very unwell for the last 18mnths and have no idea whether I will recover. The last surgeon I saw said he had never seen such a mess caused by mesh and he can;t decide whether to do more surgery, which could cause untold damage, or to leave some of the mesh in there - which is causing severe infection. I've had an open non healing wound in my abdomen requiring daily dressing by a nurse, for the last eighteen months.

After saying I wasn;t going to go into detail - I actually have ! But obviously there's a much longer story of mismanged treatment and lack of care by the hospital.

Contact victoria Derbyshire? They might be able to put you I touch with other victims and possibly there solicitors

Have a look at legal 500 and chambers and partners for Medical Negligence recommended firms and individuals.

dontdoxmeeither

Would you be able to PM me the name of the firm to avoid - I've been looking through some on the internet and several of them advertise on TV so not sure which one you mean or could you confirm if it has the initials NAH ?

It rhymes with Grater and Cordon

Irwin Mitchell solicitors have a big medical negligence department and are quite well known.

Thank you dontdoxmeeither

Thank you gertie

I

I got taken to court by Irwin Mitchell, they seem well known (judge found no merit to their case).

Have you checked your house insurance ? Our legal cover covers clinical negligence.

I never thought of that notapizzaeater - what a brilliant suggestion, I will check it tomorrow.

Unfortunately we know because we are using it 😥

Oh I'm very sorry to her that notpizzaeater - it's tough enough being unwell without having to think about negligence and how to deal with it

The only caution I would point out is are you happy with your personal details out in the public arena?

I wasn’t and was warned there was no guarantee of privacy and so I stopped - there are issues h is not even aware.

Thanks MrsPear that is definitely something that needs careful consideration.

For specialist medneg solicitors try www.avma.org.uk - a patients’ rights charity with an accredited panel. If you can say roughly where you are in the UK I/other posters might have some local recommendations.

You don’t need to make a complaint first, and pretty much every firm will assess your claim for free.

The chances of a case like the one you’ve described receiving publicity without you/your solicitors actively seeking it is vanishingly small to be honest, so don’t let that put you off.

Kingsley Napley have a well regarded Tier 1 Clinical Negligence department

I would avoid going through insurance of those no win no fee types. There are a lot of really bad lawyers out there s medical negligence is quite challenging. When choosing a lawyer I would always suggest asking around for recommendations or throwing money at the problem. If you can find someone with a teaching background (a lot of good students teach while studying) then that is usually a good way of telling that someone won’t be completely hopeless (won’t necessarily be brilliant either).