Medical Negligence Compensation Calculator Explained

By Cat Wayne. Last Updated 14th August 2024. This page explains why and when you could use a medical negligence compensation calculator. We also answer any questions you may have regarding medical negligence compensation payouts and how they’re calculated.

If you have been a victim of medical negligence, it can be a very worrying time, especially if the injury sustained due to the negligence has meant that your life has been completely disrupted. Injuries that have resulted from medical negligence claims can vary across the board, from slight injuries that patients will recover from and carry on to lead the life they led before the incident happened to those victims whose lives have completely changed and they may never recover at all.

Victims are often in a conundrum and confused about whether to claim when they suffer medical or clinical negligence. A deciding factor for such victims or the victims’ families if they cannot decide themselves can be to what degree the incident has affected the victim’s quality of life and how much future care will be needed. Very often, when a serious incident has happened, and the patient has suffered some brain injury and will not recover to live a normal life, then a compensation claim may seem the only way of ensuring the victim lives a comfortable life.

Our advisors are here to help if you’d like to learn more about making a medical negligence claim. To get started:

Select a Section

  1. Medical Negligence Claims Calculator – Calculating General Damages Compensation
  2. When Could I Make A Medical Negligence Claim?
  3. How Long Do I Have To Claim For Medical Negligence?
  4. Examples Of Evidence You’ll Need To Claim

Medical Negligence Claims Calculator – Calculating General Damages Compensation

Medical negligence compensation can be awarded under two different heads of loss. These are:

  • General damages: compensation for the physical and psychological effects of the avoidable harm caused.
  • Special damages: financial losses stemming from this harm are compensated under this head of loss. We’ll cover special damages in more detail below.

When calculating a potential general damages figure, solicitors can refer to your medical documents in conjunction with the Judicial College Guidelines. This publication details guideline compensation figures for various types of harm as an average of previous court cases.

We have taken a relevant selection of the guidelines for use in the table below. Please be advised that top entry is not a JCG figure. 

Compensation Table

This table has been included for guidance purposes only

InjuryNotesAmount
Multiple Instances of Very Severe Harm Alongside Significant Special DamagesMultiple cases of Very Severe harm as well significant financial losses including lost income, medical bills and care costs.Up to £500,000 and above
Kidney (a)Both kidneys have either been lost or permanently damaged.£206,730 to £256,780
Kidney (c)Loss of a kidney with minimal damage to the other.£37,550 to £54,760
Bowel (a)A complete loss of the bowels natural function with double incontinence and other medical complications.Up to £224,790
Bowel (c)Passive incontinence with faecal urgency that persists after surgery and will cause the person distress and embarrassment.In the region of £97,530
Female Reproductive System (a)Infertility caused by a disease or injury that causes sexual dysfunction and pain. Could have been caused due to an ectopic pregnancy failing to be diagnosed.£140,210 to £207,260
Chest (a)Prolonged pain and suffering due to the removal of one lung or because of serious heart damage.£122,850 to £183,190
Chest (b)Traumatic injury causing permanent disability and reducing the person's life expectancy.£80,240 to £122,850
Male Reproductive System (b)Total impotence with sterility and loss of sexual function in a young person. How much is awarded will be affected by hormonal effects, psychological reaction and whether the person has children or not.£140,220 to £181,020
Digestive System (b) (i)Severe toxicosis that will cause vomiting and a fever and the person will need to be admitted to hospital for a few weeks.£46,900 to £64,070

Special Damages

Special damages is the second of the two heads of claim and compensates for financial losses stemming from the avoidable harm caused. In addition to reimbursing immediate costs, special damages also compensate for future losses, as well as seeking to quantify the impact of your injuries on your day to day life.

For these reasons special damages payments are often much higher than those paid out under general damages. Here are some examples of what could be included as part of a special damages claim:

  • Loss of earnings 
  • Loss of future earnings
  • Medical expenses
  • The cost of adaptations to your property
  • The cost of additional care at home

Instead of using a medical compensation calculator, you can speak with our advisors to get an accurate estimate of how much your claim is worth. Call the number above today.

When Could I Make A Medical Negligence Claim?

Every medical professional owes their patients a duty of care. As such, the treatment they provide must meet a minimum standard. If they breach this duty of care and fail to meet this standard, this could cause significant harm to their patient’s well-being. 

While the steps that each professional is expected to take will vary depending on their field, doctors can get advice on standards from the General Medical Council (GMC) in their Duties of a Doctor. 

In order to claim medical negligence compensation, you have to be able to demonstrate that:

  • You were owed a duty of care
  • This duty was breached 
  • As a result, you suffered avoidable or unnecessary harm

Some harm is unavoidable. For example, if you are diagnosed with cancer and undergo chemotherapy, this can have significant side effects. You would not be able to claim for this, as the harm is unavoidable and part of the treatment you are receiving. 

However, if you were misdiagnosed with cancer, and the chemotherapy you underwent was unnecessary, this is known as avoidable harm, and you may be able to claim. 

Read on to learn more about making a claim and how a medical negligence claim calculator could help you. Or, if you’d like to learn more about using a medical negligence calculator, contact our team of helpful advisors today.

How Long Do I Have To Claim For Medical Negligence?

If you are eligible to seek compensation, you must start the medical negligence claim process within the time limits set by the Limitation Act 1980. Typically, this is three years from the date you were harmed or connected the harm you experienced with negligence (the date of knowledge). However, in some circumstances, there are exceptions to this limitation period. These include:

  • Those who lack the mental capacity to make a claim for themselves. An indefinite suspension is applied to the time limit in these cases. During this time, a court-appointed litigation friend could act on their behalf. If they regain this mental capacity and a litigation friend did not act for them, they will have three years from the date of recovery to begin their case.
  • Those who are under the age of 18. In these cases, the limitation period is paused until they turn 18. Prior to this, a litigation friend can bring forward a claim on their behalf. Once they reach their 18th birthday, they will have three years from that date to start a claim if one was not already made for them.

To find out more about time limits when seeking compensation for medical negligence, please get in touch with one of our advisors.

Examples Of Evidence You’ll Need To Claim

Above, we have provided a table of compensation examples that could be included in our medical misdiagnosis calculator or another medical compensation calculator. However, in order to successfully receive compensation, you will need to provide the relevant evidence to support your claim. Some of the evidence that you could collect includes:

  • Correspondence with the medical institution where the negligence occurred following a direct complaint made to them.
  • A copy of your prescription to help support a medication error claim.
  • Photographs of any visible symptoms you have suffered due to medical negligence.
  • A copy of your medical records stating your diagnosis and treatments you’ve received.
  • Evidence of any financial losses you have suffered due to being harmed by medical negligence, such as bank statements or invoices.

Remember, you need to prove that a medical professional breached their duty of care, causing you unnecessary harm to be eligible for compensation.

Contact our advisors today if you have any questions about making a medical negligence claim or about how to use a medical negligence calculator in the UK. Our friendly team is available 24/7 to help you.

More Information on Medical Negligence

Below, you can find links to all of our medical negligence claims guides:

Thank you for reading our medical negligence compensation calculator guide.