Seeking any kind of medical treatment is a stressful process in its’ own right. In the first place, it goes without saying that you’re ill, which means that you’re experiencing pain and discomfort, and then there’s the fact that the treatment you’re receiving for your illness may well, in the short term at least, add to the difficulty. Many medical procedures are uncomfortable and painful in their own right and whilst the fact that they’re treating your illness may be what helps you to get through them, actually coping with the physical and psychological ramifications can be difficult. The good news is that, most of the time, the treatment you receive, whether you attend an NHS facility or a private clinic, is delivered to the highest possible standards - http://www.nice.org.uk/newsroom/news/NICELaunchesQualityStandards.jsp. Doctors, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and pharmacists generally do their best to ensure that any procedures you undergo will be performed to the highest possible standards, through a combination of professionalism and vocation. Sometimes, however, things can go wrong, and if we feel that the problems arising have come about as a result of a doctor behaving in a negligent manner then the effect can be devastating. The simple fact is that medical practitioners are only human and this means that mistakes can sometimes happen, and if the treatment you receive falls below the standard which you might reasonably expect then you may well be in a position to make a claim for compensation.
Medical negligence can cover a huge range of circumstances. Amongst the most common causes for complaint are the following:
The failure to spot an illness
Birth injuries to either mother or baby
A mistake being made during surgery
Incorrect diagnosis of a condition
A doctor failing to warn a patient of the risks of a course of treatment
No matter what the circumstances of an individual case, medical negligence claims are amongst the most complex it is possible to pursue. The nature of the evidence involved means that an individual patient will frequently be pitting themselves against the expert witnesses put forward by a clinic, hospital or organization such as the NHS, and the evidence will frequently be highly technical. That’s why it’s vital, if you feel that you’ve been let down by medical practitioners, that you engage the services of a specialist personal injuries lawyer with experience in the field. Many people feel somewhat guilty about the concept of making a claim against a hospital, clinic or similar body, but the principle is very simple – you expected a certain standard of treatment and you were let down and, as a result, you’ve suffered an injury. Any compensation you receive will be calculated to take account of the type and severity of your injury and to ensure that you do not suffer in financial terms thanks to the negligence of another party. Depending upon the severity of your injury, the money may have to take account of medical bills, lost wages, transport charges and even the cost of rebuilding a house to make allowances for any reduction in mobility.
There are few situations in life which involve a deeper bond of trust than that which is involved when you visit any kind of medical practitioner. The knowledge that this bond has been broken with an approach that is negligent can be deeply upsetting in its own terms, over and above any further physical or psychological ramifications, so seeking compensation is little more than the very least you could expect.
