Last Updated 11th November 2024. An NHS walk-in centre is a clinic where anyone can go to receive medical treatment without having booked an appointment, even if they are not registered with a GP. When you are being treated by a medical practitioner, you are owed a duty of care. Therefore if you are injured because of NHS walk-in centre medical negligence or your condition is made worse, you may be eligible to make a medical negligence claim for compensation.
If you have been harmed because of NHS walk-in centre clinical negligence, call Legal Expert today to see if you are eligible to claim. If you have legitimate grounds to claim, we will provide you with an experienced medical negligence solicitor to handle your claim.
Call Legal Expert’s claims helpline today on 0800 073 8804, or alternatively use our online compensation form.
Select A Section
- What Is An NHS Walk-In Centre?
- What Is Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence?
- NHS Walk-In Centre Complaints Guide
- Common Clinical Errors Which Could Happen In A Walk-In Centre
- Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Compensation Calculator
- How To Find An NHS Walk-In Centre In Your Area?
- No Win No Fee NHS Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence
- We’re Here To Listen
- Need More Help
What Is An NHS Walk-In Centre?
A walk-in centre is a clinic run by the NHS where a member of the public can get same-day treatment without making an appointment. Some NHS walk-in centres are staffed entirely by nurses and some also have GPs or other doctors.
Reasons for using a walk-in centre can include the following:
- The patient is not registered with a GP
- The patient needs a same-day appointment and their GP does not have one available
- Or their GP surgery is closed.
Because there is often a wait to see a nurse or a doctor at a walk-in centre, walk-in centres shouldn’t be used in cases of a medical emergency.
Can anyone use an NHS walk-in centre?
Yes, when used appropriately anyone can use an NHS walk-in centre.
The NHS also offers other types of walk-in treatment clinics that offer specific services. These include Urgent Treatment Centres (sometimes called Urgent Care Centres), which patients can go to if they believe they have a serious but not life-threatening condition, for example, a suspected broken arm.
Patients can also go to Minor Injury Units. These are departments at some UK hospitals where a nurse can tend to injuries that are not serious such as a laceration that may need stitches. This may be called an NHS walk-in centre for minor injuries.
We will now look at how a patient could be injured if they experience walk-in clinic negligence in more detail.
What Is Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence?
Medical negligence is when a medical practitioner breaches the duty of care they owe to their patient and as a result, the patient is harmed. This can also be referred to as clinical negligence or medical malpractice.
Walk-in centre clinical negligence, as the name implies, is when walk-in centre staff breach the duty of care they owe to their patients, which in turn leads to them coming to harm. Because all medical practitioners owe their patients a duty of care, the institution that they work for could be held liable for the patient’s injuries, if they are found to have harmed a patient due to medical negligence.
To successfully recover a walk-in centre medical negligence claim payout or hospital negligence claim payout, you or your solicitor will have to provide evidence to prove the following:
- That the medical facility and/or medical practitioner owed you a duty of care
- That the medical practitioner treating you breached their duty of care
- And as a result, you suffered an illness or injury or your existing medical condition became worse.
If you make a walk-in centre medical negligence claim, your case could be made against the NHS Trust that manages the walk-in centre or a private company that operates certain services in the clinic.
If you have legitimate grounds to claim compensation for injuries caused by medical malpractice we can provide you with a medical negligence lawyer, who can negotiate on your behalf with the defendant to get you the best possible compensation settlement. Call us today to begin your claim or read on to learn more.
NHS Walk-In Centre Complaints Guide
Is it worth complaining about the NHS if you experience walk-in clinic negligence or are unhappy with the service you receive? Yes, you should notify the NHS of your complaint so it can be rectified.
It’s recommended that you direct your complaint at the relevant NHS body, such as NHS England or Wales.
The NHS Ombudsman makes final decisions on complaints to the NHS which have not yet been resolved.
Common Clinical Errors Which Could Happen In A Walk-In Centre
NHS nurses and doctors are very dedicated to their job, often working under immense pressure. Unfortunately, errors can happen due to understaffing, inadequate training or inadequate monitoring.
Here are some examples of walk-in clinic negligence that patients could experience at an NHS walk-in centre.
Misdiagnosis Errors
It’s possible for a medical practitioner to misdiagnose a patient’s injuries or illness. As a result, the patient’s condition goes untreated, which may lead it to worsen over time, or the patient receives the wrong medical treatment which could have an adverse effect.
Medical misdiagnosis can also result in a failure to refer. If a doctor or nurse does not recognise signs of a serious condition and refer you to a specialist at a hospital, this can result in your condition becoming worse. This could happen with the likes of cancers.
Poor Medical Advice
Another type of walk-in centre clinical negligence that can affect patients is poor medical advice. For example, if a doctor or nurse gives a patient incorrect instructions about how to care for a skin infection, this could result in the infection getting worse.
Needlestick Injuries
A needlestick injury can be when a patient is accidentally stabbed by a needle or injected with a needle that has been used on another patient, which can transmit infections. Thankfully these sorts of injuries are very rare.
If you have been harmed by any type of walk-in centre medical negligence please call Legal Expert today to speak to a claims advisor. If we can see that you are owed compensation we will assign a medical negligence solicitor to work on your compensation claim.
Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Compensation Calculator
Compensation for NHS walk-in centre medical negligence can be made up of two heads of claim. The first is called general damages, and they compensate for the avoidable harm and suffering you have been caused. General damages can also include psychological harm in addition to physical injuries and illness.
The size of the compensation payout for general damages can be affected by several factors, including:
- The severity of the harm suffered
- Pain levels and whether pain is constant or intermittent
- The impact of the injuries on hobbies as well as day to day life
- The prognosis for the future
- The need for future surgery
To advise on the level of compensation for general damages, legal professionals or others involved in calculating medical negligence claims may use a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This contains a wide array of injuries and illnesses along side suggested compensation brackets that they could fall into.
We have next a table of injuries from the JCG and the comepnsation brackets that are suggested. Please note that these are just suggested guidelines and that no amount of injury compensation is certain. Also, the first entry does not come from the JCG.
| Injury | Severity | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Financial Losses | Serious | Up to £1,000,000 or more |
| Brain and Head Injury | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Moderately Severe | £267,340 to £344,150 | |
| Kidney | Serious (e.g. Loss of both kidneys) | £206,730 to £256,780 |
| Loss of One Kidney | £37,550 to £54,760 | |
| Spleen | Loss of Spleen | £25,380 to £32,090 |
| Foot | Modest | Up to £16,770 |
| Hand | Moderate Hand Injury | £6,910 to £16,200 |
| Elbow | Moderate or Minor Injury (iii) | Up to £15,370 |
| Wrist | An uncomplicated Colles fracture. | In the region of £9,070 |
Compensation for walk-in centre negligence can include a second head of loss called special damages. This compensates for financial losses caused by the harm or injuries. They are not present in every case and you will need to provide documents in support to help them be claimed.
Some examples of special damage items and helpful documents to support them are:
- Loss of earnings – bank statements or wage slips
- Travel expenses – taxi receipts
- Medical costs – receipts or invoices
- Rehabilitation fees – receipts or invoices
There are many more financial losses that could be included in an NHS walk-in centre medical negligence claim. To discuss further, reach out to one of our team.
How To Find An NHS Walk-In Centre In Your Area?
The NHS website has a service finder, where you can find contact details for NHS services near you. You can find an NHS walk-in centre near you by using this online search tool.
No Win No Fee NHS Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence
If you have suffered as a result of clinical negligence at an NHS walk-in centre, we can offer you the option to have your claim handled as a No Win No Fee case.
This means you will only have to pay your solicitors fee (known as a success fee) if your solicitor wins your claim. The small fee will be deducted from your walk-in centre negligence compensation package at a capped rate, making a No Win No Fee claim the more affordable way to claim for many of our clients.
If your claim doesn’t succeed, you will not have to pay your solicitor a penny. Another benefit of making a claim in this way is that you won’t have to pay any fees upfront or during the claim either.
You can read our online guide to making a No Win No Fee claim to learn more.
We’re Here To Listen
If you think you are eligible to claim compensation for injuries you suffered at an NHS walk-in centre, call Legal Expert today to speak to an advisor. Our solicitors have years of experience handling claims for compensation. They will make sure that your claim is valued accurately and will push to make sure you receive the optimum amount of compensation you could be owed.
To begin your walk-in centre clinical negligence claim:
- Call us today on 0800 073 8804.
- Use our live chat popup, bottom right, or;
- Alternatively, use our compensation claims form to reach us.
Need More Help
We hope you found this guide to claiming compensation for NHS walk-in centre medical negligence helpful. Here are some other Legal Expert guides you may find helpful.
Clinical And Medical Negligence
How To Report A Negligent Doctor
How Much Can I Claim For Misdiagnosis Of Cancer
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Edited by Billing
