Norwich Medical Negligence Solicitors

The term medical negligence is used to describe a set of circumstances that lead to a patient receiving improper, ineffective or incorrect treatment for a medical condition. The result of which is a worsening of the medical condition itself, or the development of additional medical conditions. Healthcare providers owe each of their patients a duty of care. In summary, this means they should take reasonable steps to protect their patients and provide a high standard of care. If a healthcare provider acts negligently towards a patient, they’ll breach the duty of care they owe. The medical negligence solicitors that Norwich residents have access to will be familiar with the many forms that this kind of negligence can take. This can include the following:

• Misdiagnosis
• Surgical errors
• Incorrect treatment
• The prescription of the wrong medication

If a patient is the victim of any of these types of negligent treatment, and it has resulted in a negative effect upon their overall state of health, then it may be possible to claim for compensation against the hospital or another medical establishment that caused the problem.

How To Start a Medical Negligence Claim

Do you believe you may have a reason to claim compensation following the mistreatment of a medical condition in some way? Before contacting medical negligence solicitors, Norwich residents should check that the answer to the following questions is yes:

• Where you, the patient, owed a duty of care by the medical establishment that you were being treated at?
• Did the medical establishment act negligently, causing a breach in the duty of care that you were owed?
• Was the breach of the duty of care avoidable, which resulted in the worsening of your medical condition or the contraction of additional ones?

If you answered yes to all three of these questions, then there are a couple more considerations you need to be aware of. Firstly, medical negligence claims usually have to be started within 3 years from the day the incident which harmed you took place. This is a requirement under the Limitation Act 1980. If an injury or illness caused by negligence was not noticeable immediately, then the time limit will apply from what’s called the date of knowledge.

Also, in some cases, the timeframe for starting a claim can be extended if special circumstances exist which prevented the patient from making a claim within 3 years. Potential circumstances may include the victim being under the age of 18. Or the victim may (at least initially) lack the mental capacity to start a claim on their own. In both cases, the time limit for claiming would be frozen. It would remain so until the injured party turned 18 or regained sufficient mental capacity to act on their own.

If you believe you have a valid reason to claim compensation following mistreatment of a medical condition, then it is important that you do so sooner rather than later.

How to Find Solicitors for a Medical Negligence Claim

When making a claim for medical negligence, Norwich residents should know that it is crucial that you find a legal firm that is experienced in claiming against healthcare services such as the NHS. If you are thinking about using a solicitor for a claim in Norwich, then be sure to check that any you are considering has a track record of successfully winning compensation in these types of cases.

Here at Legal Expert, we can arrange for expert legal coverage in the Norwich area. We have a proven track record in tackling complex negligence cases going back over three decades. We approach each claim, no matter how large or small, with the same professional work ethic, and always try and claim you the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to.

Below is some additional information on how to find a good legal representative in Norwich.

Research Reviews of Lawyers for Medical Negligence

If you search online, you might be able to find some published reviews about the team of solicitors you are considering using as your representatives in a case.

You can also rely on word of mouth, asking friends and family for recommendations. Social media sites are also a good way to get this kind of word of mouth advice, simply ask your Facebook friends if they have had any dealings with the solicitors you are considering engaging.

Should I Use a Medical Claims Lawyer Based in My Area?

In the modern, Internet-enabled world, it is no longer vital that you engage the services of a local solicitor. Email, VOIP, web chat, and other technologies provide you with a host of channels to communicate with your solicitor no matter where in the UK they are located. Legal Expert has a team of solicitors that are able to provide you with legal representation and medical negligence solicitors that Norwich residents can rely on.

What Are the Different Types of Medical Negligence Cases?

Before engaging with their choice of medical negligence lawyers Norwich residents need to understand what this kind of negligence is, and the forms it can take. A brief outline of the types of negligence cases Legal Expert has won in the past is given below. However, this is not an exhaustive list and if you have questions that this information does not answer, then feel free to contact us.

Hospital Negligence Settlements

If a person is treated in hospital and some form of negligence takes place which leaves them in a worse state of health, then there could be a cause to claim compensation. This includes people who are given emergency treatment at the Accident & Emergency Department, not just inpatients receiving treatment for an exciting medical condition. Legal Expert can help people in the Norwich area claim for negligence that takes place in any local hospital.

Care Home Negligence Claims

This type of negligence takes place in a nursing or care home. This could take the shape of an accident caused by insufficient care being made available, or a medical condition is caused by incorrect care being given. Local Norwich residents can rely on Legal Expert to claim compensation from any local nursing or care home.

Dental Negligence Claims

This type of negligence refers to injuries or medical conditions that are caused by receiving incorrect dental treatment, or as a result of a badly executed surgical procedure. Legal Expert has a team of solicitors available to cover the Norwich area, and we are able to help the local people of Norwich claim against any local dental practice.

Claims Lawyers for Doctor Negligence Cases

If you have received incorrect treatment that has had a negative impact on your state of health from your GP in Norwich, or from a doctor at a local hospital, then Legal Expert can help you claim against them for negligence. Our national team of solicitors is experienced in such cases. Feel free to contact us about how we can assist if you’re looking to make a claim in Norwich with medical negligence solicitors.

Examples of Clinical Negligence Compensation Claims

Negligence on the part of a healthcare provider comes in many forms, from the simple superscription of medicines that a person has an allergy to, to serious surgical mistakes that result in death. Below are a couple of examples of the types of negligence that can lead to a successful compensation claim.

Medical Negligence During Childbirth

Negligence during childbirth can affect the mother, the baby or both. It can take many forms. For example, the mother could be incorrectly anesthetised causing complications with the delivery, or even death. Or the baby could be harmed in some way during the delivery. Put simply, if any action is taken leading up to, or during the birth has a negative effect on the health of the mother or baby, a case for claiming compensation could exist.

Cancer Negligence Cases

Cancer negligence comes in many forms. Most common is the misdiagnosis of the type of cancer the patient is suffering from, leading to the wrong treatment being administered. In some cases, the delay in receiving the correct treatment can make the difference between life and death for the patient. Other forms of cancer negligence include being given the wrong treatment, or the patient being injured due to a badly performed surgical procedure.

NHS Medical Negligence Compensation Statistics

Medical negligence claims are made against NHS Trusts across the UK every year. Data released by NHS Resolution shows how many claims were received by NHS Trusts during the 2019/20 period. The data also shows how much money each Trust spent towards resolving claims during the same time period.

The data covers The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It also covers Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Findings from the data include the following:

• During the 2019/20 period, The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust received 54 medical negligence claims. Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust received 6 claims and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust received 5 claims.
• The total amount of money the NHS Trusts which operate in Norfolk spent on resolving claims in 2019/20 were as follows:
  – The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: £12,971,030
  – Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust: £226,631
  – Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust: £922,626

No Win No Fee Medical Negligence Solicitors

Before deciding to use a firm of No Win No Fee solicitors, Norwich residents should understand what this type of agreement means. Under this type of agreement, which also goes by the name of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), the claimant has nothing to pay until the legal firm actually wins a compensation pay-out. So, there is nothing to pay to begin the claims process, and no ongoing legal costs to pay whilst the claim is being pursued.

If your No Win No Fee solicitor isn’t able to help you win your case, then you will not be required to pay your solicitor’s legal fees. You’ll only pay their fees if the case is a success. Under a CFA, your solicitor usually takes a legally-capped percentage of your compensation to cover their payment. For more information, see our guide to No Win No Fee claims.

Contact Legal Expert Today

If you have been the victim of negligence at the hands of a medical professional, then we may be able to help you claim some compensation. All you need to do is to give us a call on 0800 073 8804 today. We will ask you a few questions and take the details of your case before giving you some advice on what to do next. We can also arrange for a home visit in the Norwich area if you would rather speak with a legal expert face to face.

Helpful Links

For more information related to medical negligence claims, you can check out the resources below:

Misdiagnosis Claims Guide

You can read our separate guide on making a claim specifically for a misdiagnosis caused by negligent behaviour.

Cosmetic Surgery Claims Explained

This guide discusses how you may be able to claim compensation if you are harmed during a cosmetic surgery procedure.

How To Claim For Hospital Infections

This particular guide can be read if you want to learn about potentially claiming for an infection caused by a negligent hospital.

NHS Constitution For England Explained

In this UK Government guide, you can find information on UK patients’ rights.

How To Make A Complaint To The NHS

This guide from the NHS explains how you can make a formal complaint against one of their health services. If you have concerns about an NHS health provider, you may want to make a formal complaint before looking to start a personal injury claim.

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Local Norwich medical centres

Spire Norwich Hospital
Old Watton Road
Colney
Norwich
NR4 7TD
Tel: 01603 294 321

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
Colney Lane
Norwich
NR4 7UY
Tel: 01603 286286
Web: www.nnuh.nhs.uk

Riverside Dental
12 Broadland Court
Wherry Rd
Norwich
NR1 1UN
Tel: 01603 920313

Thank you for reading our guide on making a claim in Norwich with medical negligence solicitors.