Hartlepool Medical Negligence Solicitors – No Win No Fee Claims Lawyers Guide

Clinical Negligence Claims Against Providers In Hartlepool

Medical negligence Hartlepool

Medical negligence Hartlepool

This page provides information on how to choose an experienced team of medical negligence solicitors in Hartlepool. The guide covers the many ways medical negligence could happen, and how it could harm a patient. We also offer advice on how to start a search for a legal team with adequate experience to handle a medical negligence claim against a responsible party.

If you have any questions which are not answered in this guide, or you have a query about the claims process in general, our panel of medical negligence solicitors can cover the Hartlepool area and would be happy to answer these.

You can call them on 0800 652 3087, and they will provide information on how a No Win No Fee service might be the best way to have your claim processed.

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A Guide To Finding the Right Solicitor For Clinical Negligence Claims

Before we provide advice on how to start a search for a personal injury solicitor, we would like to explain how our panel of medical negligence solicitors can be of help. You can use the number at the end of this page to speak to an adviser, and they can give you essential information, such as the time limit that may apply to your case. Even if you have already used an online personal injury claims calculator to get a rough estimate of the amount you may be awarded, our team can provide a more accurate estimate.

They can also explain how a No Win No Fee claims service is a simple, financially risk-free way to have your claim processed. If you would rather find a solicitor yourself, you can take the following steps to do so:

  • Talk to your friends or family members, and find out if they can recommend a solicitor they have used in the past
  • Try and find an impartial online review site, with plenty of solicitor reviews, and use this information to find a good legal team
  • Speak to your co-workers, and ask if any of them have used a solicitor in the past, and whether they would recommend them

These are valid ways to start looking for a good legal firm to process your claim for you effectively. However, the easiest and fastest way to find the right personal injury solicitor to represent you, is to contact a member of our team today.

Should You Claim With A Solicitor In Hartlepool?

To answer the question, do I have to use a medical negligence solicitors in my area? The answer is no, not unless you want to. There is no legal requirement for you to use a local firm. You can use any solicitor you wish, the location of their office doesn’t really matter as you can keep in touch with them on the phone, via email, by web chat, or Skype.

A more important consideration is whether the solicitor you choose will have the best chance of processing your claim successfully, and whether they would be able to get you the maximum level of compensation you could be entitled to.

An Examination Of Your Injury Could Be Carried Out In Hartlepool With Our Panel Of Experts

Something that a claimant can do to assist with the process of making a medical negligence claim against a third party, is to arrange for an examination to be carried out by an impartial medical professional. The report produced would be used to prove the extent of the harm suffered. We can arrange for you to have a free independent medical examination which is part of our claims service. The closest medical professionals to Hartlepool who would be able to do this would include:

Ian WatsonEvans Business Incubation CentreCounty DurhamDL5 6XP
Durham Way South
Newton Aycliffe

If you would like us to arrange an appointment for you, please talk to a member of our team today.

How Helpful Could Reading Reviews Of A Solicitor Be?

You can find review websites that publish a number of impartial medical negligence solicitor reviews which could be a very useful tool for creating a short list of possible legal firms to represent you. When sorting through the reviews you should compare information from each such as:

  • How long ago was the review published?
  • What kind of claim does the review cover?
  • Was the review generally positive or not?
  • Was the claim successful?
  • What kind of fee structure did the solicitor offer?
  • How much did the solicitor charge?

By comparing this kind of information you can build a shortlist of the best solicitors based on their reviews. This will likely take quite some time, though. If you can’t spare the time to go through this process, you could speak to one of our team on the number at the end of this guide. They can explain how a No Win No Fee claims service can be of help in getting you the medical negligence compensation you may be entitled to.

Types Of Medical Negligence Claims You Could Make

Before we look at the type of claims a personal injury solicitor could possibly process for you, we need to go over the medical negligence claim criteria. In order for a person to be eligible to claim, the negligent act must have caused them harm in some way. As such, the following three statements would all need to be true.

  1. The patient was owed a duty of care by a medical professional
  2. The patient was harmed due to the medical professional failing to meet this duty of care in some way
  3. The failure to meet the duty of care was avoidable

Based on the information above, negligence can take many forms, for example:

  • A mistake made during an operation harmed a patient
  • Negligence at a care or nursing home caused harm to a resident
  • A GP failed in their primary care duty, and this caused harm to a patient
  • An error during the birthing process caused harm to a mother or baby
  • A late or misdiagnosis of cancer caused a patient’s medical condition to deteriorate
  • An accident caused by negligence at a hospital, caused a patient to be injured
  • A dentist makes a mistake during a dental procedure, harming the patient

All of these are examples of how a medical professional has acted in a negligent manner in some way which caused harm to a patient and could be grounds to file a medical negligence claim against the responsible party.

Negligence During Surgery Or Surgical Aftercare

When negligence during surgery, or after an operation while the patient is in recovery causes harm, it could be possible for a negligence claim to be made. For example:

  • A surgeon makes an erroneous incision with a scalpel, injuring the patient
  • An anaesthetist makes a mistake, leading to the patient to suffer a medical problem, or even death
  • Inadequate care is taken in the post-op stage, leading to the patient contracting an infection

All of these are examples of how negligence during or after surgery could harm the patient, and therefore, could be valid grounds for claiming medical negligence compensation.

Negligence During Nursing Home Care

If we were to look at nursing home negligence examples, we would likely find that the nursing home in question had, in some way failed in its regulatory obligations to provide a safe environment for residents. These establishments are often staffed by overworked, semi-skilled care workers who are on low wages. This can be a recipe for medical negligence, and when this results in an injury to a resident, it could well become the basis for a valid personal injury claim.

Negligence During Care By A GP

As your primary care contact, a GP is responsible for either diagnosing and treating minor illnesses and injuries, or performing an initial diagnosis before referring a patient to a specialist for treatment. When a GP makes a mistake, it can lead to a patient going without treatment, or not receiving treatment rapidly enough. Both of these situations can cause harm to the patient, allowing their medical condition to become worse.

As such, this could result in the patient being entitled to make a claim for GP medical negligence and be compensated for their suffering.

Negligence During Childbirth

If we were to examine a number of birth negligence stories, we would likely find that negligence during childbirth can lead to injuries such as:

Injuries to the baby:

  • Medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy
  • Brain damage caused by hypoxia
  • Scarring and disfigurement.
  • Broken bones
  • Cuts and bruises

 

  • Injuries to the mother:
    • A broken or damaged pelvis
    • STI such as a strain of the pelvic floor muscles
    • Perineal tears
    • Cuts, bruises and lacerations

Whenever these injuries are caused by a negligent act on the part of a medical professional during childbirth, it could be possible to make a compensation claim.

Negligence During Cancer Treatment And Diagnosis

When it comes to medical negligence, cancer patients can suffer catastrophic harm due to late or a misdiagnosis. Cancer requires the rapid application of treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to give the victim the greatest chance of survival. A delay in treatment can lead to the cancer worsening, and even death. When the delay is caused by a bad diagnosis through negligence, a valid claim could exist.

Negligence During Hospital Care

If we were to look at medical negligence case facts, we would likely find that there are a wide range of ways a patient can be harmed through negligence at a hospital. For example:

  • Poorly administered treatment such as a bandage or plaster cast causing the injury to worsen
  • Exposure to harmful chemicals or radiation (X-ray/MRI), causing harm to a patient
  • Pharmaceutical errors, leading to a patient suffering an adverse reaction to medication
  • Insufficient care and supervision on a hospital ward, leading to an inpatient incapable of caring for themselves suffering an accident such as a slip, trip or fall

All are examples of how negligence at a hospital can result in harm to a patient, that could be the basis of a medical negligence claim.

Negligence During Dentistry

A dentist has to conform to the same regulations as any medical professional. When they fail to do this, it can result in negligence causing injuries such as:

  • Loss of, or damage to healthy teeth
  • Damage to the jawbone
  • Gum infections
  • Cuts/bruises
  • Facial scarring

When these injuries are the result of negligence, it could be possible to claim for NHS dental compensation against the negligent party.

Claims Against NHS Trusts Serving Hartlepool

The table below gives details of clinical negligence claim NHS in the Hartlepool region:

Healthcare ProviderClaims Received (2017/18)Number of Incidents (2017/18)CNST Damages
North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust5753465166

All data has been taken from:

NHS claims factsheet 2017/18

No Win No Fee Private And NHS Negligence Compensation

When you use a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor, you don’t pay to have your claim started, or while it is processed, you also don’t pay if you don’t receive any compensation. You do pay when the solicitor receives a payment for you, and then they will deduct their ‘success fee’ from the money received automatically.

Clinical Facilities And Hospitals In Hartlepool

University Hospital of Hartlepool

Holdforth Rd

Hartlepool

TS24 9AH

Web: https://www.nth.nhs.uk/hospitals/hartlepool/

Opening hours: 24 hours.

Contacting Our Team

have you been injured due to the negligent actions of a medical professional? Do you need the services of a good medical negligence solicitor to process a claim for you? If so, please speak to one of our team on 0800 652 3087 today. They will explain how we can be of help.

Further References

The following links contain relevant information:

CareQuality Commission Hartlepool

BDA information on health and safety

These additional guides could also be of help to you:

Brain damage negligence claims

Claiming for NHS hospital negligence

Article by MW

Editor Honey