Medical negligence, misdiagnosis and the importance of communication
A breakdown in communication between a patient and medical staff or between different parts of the health service is often at the heart of medical negligence cases, including those dealing with misdiagnosis where the symptoms of a trivial complaint have been confused with a more serious condition.
This situation can be made worse by a number of factors, including how a patient and doctor speak to each other on first contact. If a patient is either very old or very young, they may well have an adult present to help describe symptoms or explain to them what treatment is being suggested.
In those circumstances, the responsible adult is likely to be able to ask a number of relevant questions and help ensure a good outcome. Unfortunately, cases can arise where a person is too ill to be sure of advising medical staff of aspects such as family history or how an accident happened and this may delay vitally-needed treatment.
Anyone with an underlying condition likely to need urgent attention in the event of a crisis, such as diabetes, severe allergy, epilepsy or a heart condition, would be well advised to wear an alarm for summoning assistance and a special identity bracelet or other means of alerting the public or emergency health workers if necessary.
On arrival at hospital, accident and emergency casualties will be subject to a variety of routine tests if it is not obvious how they have suffered illness or injury and if the sufferer is unconscious and alone doctors will have to make a judgement based on their skill and experience.
If medical history records are available either at the time of admission or shortly afterwards this should mean the best treatment in the quickest possible time is available. However, mix-ups with records and test results do occur both within a hospital and when transferring information from a GP's surgery to a consultant, for example.
There have been a number of medical negligence compensation cases which have been brought by patients or their families where records have been mis-filed or vital test results ignored, resulting in poorer treatment for a patient than should otherwise have been the available.
Hospitals are usually very busy places with staff working on shift systems to cover every hour when they are needed, to attend patients and sometimes important instructions about drugs, x-rays or care treatments fail to be carried out as specified by doctors, leading to unnecessary harm or suffering to the patient.
If you, or someone you love, feels they have not received appropriate care from any member of the NHS or private health service, through their actions or neglect, advice from an experienced personal injury lawyer specialising in medical negligence may be helpful.
YouClaim's medical negligence solicitors
YouClaim specialises in representing medical and clinical negligence claimants. Over the years we have built a national reputation for sensitivity, expertise and success.
Our advisors, available for consultation on echat or through our online claim form, can help you begin to navigate the complexities of the law and assist you in assessing whether you have strong grounds for mounting a claim. If we believe it would be in your interests to proceed, and you wish to do so, we can then appoint the solicitor who is best suited to working on your case.
Our clinical malpractice solicitors are among the most experienced in the UK. All work under the governance of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, a Law Society body with a strict code of conduct.
Although the complexities and technicalities of a medical negligence compensation claim prevent us from always offering a cost-free service, it is our policy to keep all costs to a minimum, while ensuring you are advised of them in advance.
For friendly, sympathetic advice from one of our claim experts, call free on 0800 10 757 95.
