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

Medical negligence Plymouth

Medical negligence Plymouth

You might know that when making a personal injury claim, you can use a solicitor who offers a no win no fee service.  Did you know though, that the same can be true if you’re making a claim for medical negligence, surgical negligence or clinical negligence?  If you were searching for medical negligence solicitors in Plymouth, trust this guide to explain the steps you should take to choose the right solicitor for you.

We’ll also explain how our panel of medical negligence solicitors can cover the Plymouth area.  If you’d like to discuss your claim today, call Medical Negligence Assist on 0800 652 3087 and speak with one of our specialist advisors.

If you want to know more first, then please carry on reading this guide which will cover information relating to clinical negligence solicitors and the claims process.

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How Do I Choose The Right Medical Negligence Solicitor For My Claim?

Picking the right medical negligence solicitor might mean the difference between winning your case or losing it.  By choosing the right medical negligence solicitor could mean you receive the right level of compensation for your injuries.  The hard part though, is actually finding the right solicitor for your case.

This guide will offer advice about claiming compensation for medical negligence, choosing the right solicitor, using medical negligence solicitor’s reviews and examples of cases of medical negligence.

Medical negligence may exist if negligent injuries or illnesses are caused by any medical professional including doctors, nurses, surgeons, paediatricians, dentists and care providers.  Medical negligence could also occur while undergoing elective treatments such as cosmetic surgery.

We advise using a medical negligence solicitor for such cases as such claims may be complex. There is also a personal injury claims time limit in the UK.  All claims, for adults, need to be filed within 3 years of the negligence occurring or becoming aware of the diagnosis.  For children, a parent or guardian can claim while they’re still a child or the child has 3 years from their 18th birthday.

You shouldn’t leave it to the last minute though as, due to the complexity of negligence claims, a solicitor will require adequate time to gather any supporting evidence and to ensure no evidence is lost.

Should I Use A Solicitor Based Close To Me?

We often hear people stating that, “I need to use medical negligence solicitors near me”, but that’s not the case nowadays.   In the past it may have been more convenient but due to modern communication methods, you may not need to set foot in the solicitor’s office.

You’ll usually begin your claim over the telephone and then further communication will be done via email or letters sent in the post.  There is one part of a claim which will take place locally though.  This is the medical assessment which is usually required as part of any claim.

Medical Negligence Assist have a panel of medical professionals across the UK, including in the Plymouth area, so anybody who chooses to use our services, won’t need to travel far to be assessed.  We’ll provide more information about this later in this guide.

Should I Look At Reviews Of Clinical Negligence Solicitors?

Reviews are a good place to start when evaluating solicitors, any that you read about Plymouth medical negligence experts, solicitors or lawyers can be useful if they are genuine and have valid information.  There is obviously going to be some information that’s not relevant, but you could look for information about recent cases that have been won, whether the clients seem happy with the compensation amounts and the level of customer satisfaction in the reviews.

Calling and speaking with solicitors is also a good idea as you will get a personal feeling about them and can ask specific questions relating to your case. You’ll get a great deal of information about them just by speaking with them.  Remember, some cases can take a long time, so you need to make sure you can get along with any solicitor or case handler prior to beginning the case.

Our Expert Panel Of Doctors In The Plymouth Area Could Assess Your Injury

As we mentioned earlier in this guide, if you decide to use Medical Negligence Assist to help you make a claim, you won’t have to travel far for any medical assessment that’s required as part of your clinical negligence claim.

Here are a few of the local medical specialists we use:

Simon Wearne
Stoke Physiotherapy Clinic,
129 Davenport Road,
Plymouth, PL1 5RQ.

Laura Sanchez Pallares
Darklake Lane,
Plymouth, PL6 7TR.

Steven Nimmo
Horn Lane,
Plymstock,
Plymouth, PL9 9BR.

This is just sample of our panel of medical specialists in the Plymouth area.  You may be asked to attend one of these, or one of our other specialists, if your medical negligence lawyer asks you to have an assessment.

Medical Negligence Cases We Could Help You To Claim For

Over the coming sections, we’re going to provide information about some examples of types of medical negligence cases. Contact one of our advisors to discuss your claim and they’ll advise you if you have a valid case. 

Birth Trauma And Negligence

Birth trauma or birth negligence can happen when a mother is delivering her baby and receives sub standard care either causing an error or injury. This type of medical negligence could cause the baby being born harm or the mother delivering the baby an injury.

Examples of injuries or illnesses that could happen during a negligent delivery to a baby being delivered;

  • Broken bones.
  • Cerebral Palsy.
  • Fatal birth negligence.
  • Erb’s Palsy.

For mothers, examples of injuries during a negligent birth may include:

  • Fissures.
  • Vaginal tears.
  • Poor suturing or stitches following a caesarean section, leading to further complications.

If you believe you could claim compensation for negligence during childbirth, then please call us to discuss your options.

Hospital Neglect And Negligence

A hospital is a place where you expect to get better following an illness or injury.  You don’t really expect to have your existing condition worsen or sustain new injuries, but if that happens because of negligence, and it can be proven that your medical practitioners have acted in a negligent way causing further harm you may have the basis for a medical negligence claim.

Examples include:

  • Contracting a superbug such as MRSA while on the hospital ward due to unhygienic practices.
  • Being given the wrong medicine or dosage.
  • Feeling pain during an operation due to wrong amounts of anaesthetic.
  • Bed sores.

Negligent Dental Care

Dentists, hygienists and dental nurses too have a duty of care towards all their patients. If they allow the standard of treatment and service to fall below expected and a patient is harmed due to such negligence the basis for a dental negligence claim may be valid.

Some examples of possible dental negligence include:

  • Injuries caused to other teeth or other parts of the mouth while undergoing surgery.
  • Undergoing procedures that weren’t required.
  • Complications caused by incorrect anaesthetic dosages.
  • Being prescribed incorrect medicines or receiving the wrong dosage.

Negligent Surgical Care

Any form of surgery, including cosmetic surgery, will have an associated risk involved.  That doesn’t mean you can’t claim for compensation if something goes wrong that was not supposed to.   If you’re injured or your existing condition is made worse because of a mistake during surgery and you were not aware of this when the side effects were explained to you you could seek compensation for the negligent harm that has been suffered.

Examples could possibly include:

  • If you were not advised of any associated risks and they happened.
  • Surgery on the wrong part of the body.
  • If you were injured by defective surgical equipment.
  • Amputation of the wrong limb.
  • If items were left inside you following surgery. This can include towels, clamps, scissors, pins, swabs and sponges.

If you have suffered an injury in surgery, or your conditioned has worsened as a consequence, maybe the surgeon left surgical equipment inside you call Medical Negligence Assist and we will assess your claim for free and advise whether you could claim for medical negligence or not.

Negligent GP And General Practice Care

When we become ill our usual first port of call is the GP.  They have a broad range of medical knowledge to be able to diagnose problems, treat them or refer the patient to somebody who can.  If the GP makes a mistake though, for example not referring the patient for diagnostic testing when needed it could have severe consequences.

Examples of GP negligence might include:

  • Being prescribed the wrong medicine which could mean the initial condition gets worse or new side-effects are caused by the medicine.
  • Late diagnosis of a condition which means it gets worse and the patients suffers more. It could also mean treatment is less effective if given later than it could’ve been.
  • The misdiagnosis of a condition meaning that the patient becomes more ill as they haven’t been treated correctly.

If you are unsure if you have suffered from GP negligence please get in touch to discuss your injuries with one of our specialist advisors.

Nursing Home Care Negligence

It’s often quite daunting to place the care of a loved one in somebody else’s hands.  Care homes and nursing homes have a duty of care to ensure patients are safe and receive at least the minimum expected level of care.

If you or a loved on are injured, or become ill, in a care home caused by negligence, it would have to be proven that the care home is liable in order to be able to pursue a case for damages.

Examples of nursing home care negligence may include:

  • Medication not being administered to the patient at the prescribed intervals causing illness.
  • Fractures or other injuries caused by not handling the patient correctly.
  • Pressure sores or ulcers (also called bed sores) caused by lack of movement.

Misdiagnosis Of Cancer

One of the most distressing diagnosis a patient can receive is one for cancer.  It can be made even worse if the patient has been presenting with symptoms for a long time, but the cancer wasn’t diagnosed straight away.

In some cases, misdiagnosis of cancer compensation can be claimed, but evidence will need to be provided to prove that the cancer could have been diagnosed at an earlier stage and due to the late diagnosis the condition has been allowed to worsen.  Examples of where a misdiagnosis of cancer could lead to a compensation claim include:

  • If a diagnosis for cancer has been delayed. This could be because the GP failed to refer for diagnostic testing when first presented with symptoms.
  • If the cancer is misdiagnosed as another condition. This will usually mean that the wrong treatment plan is followed which could lead to the cancer spreading more than it would’ve done had treatment been started sooner.

If you are unsure as to whether the delay in diagnosis you received could have made your condition worse please call Medical negligence Assist we’ll assess your claim to see if you have a valid case.

Statistics Highlighting Medical Negligence Cases In Plymouth

In the following table, we’ve provided information about the compensation claims made against the Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust in the latest figures released.

Healthcare ProviderClaims in 2017/2018Number of Incidents 2017/2018CNST Damages Paid
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust825£5,908,771

This doesn’t include any claims made against private care providers as they’re not legally required to release these figures. Figures are taken from data published by the NHS.

No Win No Fee Medical Negligence Solicitors Covering Plymouth

You’ve probably heard about no win no fee services offered for personal injury claims, but do you know how they work?  The main benefit is that they make claiming compensation a lot easier for some people, if the case is lost, you don’t have to pay the solicitor.

You don’t have to pay them anything up front and if you win, you still don’t have to send them any funds as they deduct their success fee from your compensation.  A success fee is limited to 25% of your compensation and could be less. You will know from the outset what the success fee will be as it’s listed in the Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).  The CFA is another name for a no win no fee agreement.

When you contact a personal injury solicitor, they’ll assess your claim with you.  If they’re happy that you have a strong case, they’ll offer you a CFA and let you know what there success fee will be. Once you’re happy, and you’ve signed the CFA, your case will begin.

All of our panel of expert medical negligence solicitors offer no win no fee agreements for all medical negligence claims they work on.

NHS And Private Hospitals In Plymouth

There are a number of hospitals in Plymouth, some operated by the NHS and some by private companies.  For your information, we’ve provided a list below:

  • Derriford Hospital (NHS).
  • Royal Eye Infirmary (NHS).
  • Children Development Centre (NHS).
  • Nuffield Hospital Plymouth (Private).

Our panel of medical negligence solicitors can cover the Plymouth area so can help with any medical negligence claims in these hospitals and any other medical centres in the local area.

How To Start My Claim

If you were looking for medical negligence solicitors in Plymouth, we hope you now realise that our panel of expert medical negligence solicitors could also help you.  To begin your claim, you can simply:

  • Call us free on 0800 652 3087. Our team are can help with all Plymouth medical negligence claims and provide free legal advice about your claim.
  • Fill in our online form to begin your claim.

When you get in touch, our friendly team will guide you through the process of beginning your claim.  We’ll advise what evidence you should try to provide and introduce you to one of our panel of expert medical negligence solicitors if we believe you have a strong case.

Further Information

Hopefully, you’ve found this guide both useful and informative.  For further information, we’ve linked to some other useful resources:

Find NHS Services – A useful tool from the NHS where you can search for dentists, doctors, hospitals or other NHS services in your area.

Claims for Misdiagnosis – This article explains when you can claim compensation for misdiagnosis.  This might be for GP negligence, a dentist’s mistake or one made by any other medical professional.

Clinical Negligence Compensation Calculator – This article offers a personal injury claims calculator to show some medical negligence compensation examples for certain injuries.

MRSA Compensation – A detailed look at what causes MRSA, and other super bugs, and when you could claim compensation.