Medical negligence is an umbrella term for any occasion when you have received below standard medical care or treatment. This could be anything from false diagnosis to incorrect medication. Medical negligence can be the cause of severe physical illness or emotional distress. In the worst cases possible it can cause fatality. Medical negligence can be committed by all healthcare professionals, including doctors, surgeons, nurses and therapists. This blog will outline some of the most common scenarios of medical negligence, and what to do if you think this may have happened to you or a family member.
Incorrect Diagnosis
When a medical professional diagnoses you with a condition you do not actually have, this can cause significant issues. Firstly, if they begin treatment for this issue, you are then receiving treatment for a condition you do not have, and this could have painful side effects and affect or worsen the condition you actually do have. If this treatment includes surgery, this could cause significant pain and recovery time, potentially causing you to miss work or significant events. Mental stress can also be a factor here, as if you are falsely diagnosed with a very serious illness (eg. cancer), this can cause a lot of emotional distress to you and your loved ones which would be completely unnecessary, since you may be misdiagnosed with lung cancer and others, if this happen to you a Lung Cancer Attorney could be essential to help you in a case like this.
Delayed Diagnosis
A delayed diagnosis is another common type of medical negligence case. If a medical professional does not diagnose your condition soon enough, this could cause the condition to worse. Sometimes the condition can advance so it then becomes untreatable, before the medical professional makes the correct diagnosis. In a case of delayed diagnosis, sometimes it can literally be a matter of life and death, so it is very important the diagnosis is made on time.
A&E
It’s not just surgeons or diagnostic doctors who can commit medical negligence. You could also have experienced it in an Accident and Emergency environment. Occasionally a person in A&E for an injury or illness could have been wrongly sent home. If you were told to go home when you really needed instant medical attention and treatment or to be monitored this is a form of medical negligence.
Incorrect Medication
When diagnosed with an illness it is obviously very important to be given the correct medication to treat the causes and symptoms. On rare occasions, it is possible for a hospital pharmacist to dispense the incorrect medication. This could be the wrong pills in a bottle, or the wrong bottle completely. Incorrect medication is a very serious thing as not only is your illness not being treated, but this medication you don’t actually need could be harming you or worsening your already existing condition
Defective Products
The products used to treat you in hospital play a big role in your recovery. If the products used in surgery for example are defective, this could worsen your illness or prolong your recovery time. Also, if a medical professional uses these products incorrectly or inappropriately it could have the same effect. It’s very important that the medical or surgical tools used during your treatment are in full working use and implemented correctly.
Poor Hygiene
Obviously, it goes without saying that hospitals and places of medical care should have impeccable cleanliness and hygiene. However, this isn’t always the case and it is possible some facilities have poor standards of hygiene. If you are being treated at one of these facilities, you could develop an infection or there could be complication in your surgery. Examples of this include unsterilized medical tools, or improper disposal of medical waste.
Why should you speak to a solicitor?
If any of these scenarios are sounding familiar to you, it is possible that you have experienced medical negligence at the hands of a medical professional. The best thing to do in this case is to speak to a solicitor so they can advise you on how best to proceed going forward. If you wanted to pursue a personal injury claim, a solicitor could help you navigate it to ensure a financial compensation.
What can Beecham Peacock do to help?
The team of expert personal injury lawyers at Beecham Peacock have a wealth of experience in dealing with cases involving medical negligence. We have been helping people with medical negligence cases for many years, so we have a huge amount of experience and expertise available to assist you in making your claim.
Can you make a personal injury claim?
One of your options Beecham Peacock might suggest after experiencing medical negligence is to make a personal injury compensation claim. If your health or the health of a loved one has suffered then money obviously can’t fix that, but Beecham Peacock are aware of the financial hit people and families can experience after suffering from medical negligence. If you have had a prolonged illness or disability as a result of medical negligence, this may have affected your ability to work. Obviously, this will create a huge financial impact on your lifestyle, and Beecham Peacock can help you claim that money back, as you shouldn’t have to lose out financially because of something that wasn’t your fault.
What’s the next step?
If you think you’ve experienced medical negligence, your next step should be to see a solicitor at Beecham Peacock to discuss your options. If you are busy, or have mobility issues and struggle to get out and about, Beecham Peacock have an online enquiry system which allows you to outline your issue in an online message to the professionals and someone will get back to you to recommend your next step and potentially book an appointment to see a solicitor. Head to their website to get in touch with a professional who will help advise you.