Medical Negligence Solicitors in Newcastle and Sunderland

Have I Suffered From Medical Negligence?

Whether the medical practitioner has been negligent will depend on whether the treatment you received was to a standard that could reasonably have been expected. The practitioner would have a defence to your claim for medical negligence if the treatment you received was in line with the views of a responsible body of medical opinion. You also need to prove that your injuries would not have occurred if it were not for the negligence of the medical practitioner. In some cases, injury may have occurred anyway. For example, the injury could be due to the actual illness being treated.

At some stage in your medical negligence claim, it will be necessary to obtain a medical report from a medical expert. This is to advise whether the treatment provided was negligent and whether the injury would have occurred anyway even if the negligent treatment had not taken place.

What is the Time Limit for Medical Negligence Claims?

You have three years to issue court proceedings from the date you first knew, or could reasonably have been expected to know, that you have suffered an injury caused by the fault of a medical practitioner. This could be the date of the mistake or some time later if you did not initially know you had been affected at the time.

If court proceedings are not issued within three years of that date, you will usually be unable to pursue your claim further. The courts can however waive this three-year time limit if it can be shown that there was a valid reason why you did not pursue the claim sooner.

Medical Negligence Claims FAQs

How long do medical negligence claims take?

The length of time from first issuing court proceedings to an agreement being reached and compensation being awarded will vary from case to case. Some cases can be resolved in a year or two, depending on the injuries suffered and the nature of the potential negligence that occurred. The severity of your illness or injury will also impact the amount of time taken for a medical negligence claim.

For complicated claims, you may find that your case will take much longer to be resolved. As your claim progresses, we will provide you with realistic indications of how long it will take to resolve your claim.

How do I start a medical negligence claim?

In order to make a medical negligence claim, you can get in touch with Thompson & Co Solicitors today. We have years of experience representing clients in Newcastle, Sunderland and across the North East; as well as the rest of England and Wales too.

After contacting us to start your claim, we will carry out an initial assessment of your claim and advise whether we consider there are reasonable prospects of you winning your case.

How successful are medical negligence claims?

The success rate of medical negligence claims varies greatly depending on the individual circumstances of treatment and the injuries suffered. As your claim progresses, it will be necessary to obtain medical reports from similar types of medical experts to those that provided the treatment. These will advise whether the treatment provided fell below an acceptable level that no responsible body of medical or nursing opinion would condone.

Very few medical negligence claims are the same but given our years of experience with these types of claims, it’s likely that we have previously supported a client in making a similar claim to yourself. We can use this knowledge and experience to advise you on how best to proceed with your medical negligence claim and the likely chances of success.