How training reduces the need for medical negligence compensation
Few jobs involve as much stress, responsibility and attention to detail as those that form the medical professions. Sometimes these factors can be at the root of the causes of a medical negligence compensation claim.
Most medical professionals will spend around a decade carrying out their necessary training. This in itself is a huge stress, involving a substantial sacrifice of personal life. For example, nine years training is an essential requirement of anyone aiming to become a GP, while becoming a hospital consultant requires an extra three years of study and practice.
Most doctors will work between 40-50 hours a week, although, anecdotally, many claim to clock more than 70 hours. With such a high intensity job and such a prolific roster of hours, it is no surprise that mishaps and substandard care sometimes give rise to medical negligence compensation claims.
Due to the pivotal and scrupulous nature of surgery, health authorities look to guard against medical negligence and surgical errors by prescribing a lengthy and intense training period. Usually, this training period involves five years initial training as a doctor followed by another twelve years in both general and specialised postgraduate surgical training. Without such strict standards of qualification, medical negligence compensation claims would surely be much more prevalent than they are today.
The medical negligence risk to the public of insufficiently trained doctors and surgeons is all too clear. There have been a few infamous examples of deluded chancers who've impersonated doctors, often with catastrophic results.
It is also not unheard of some unqualified "surgeons" to set up practice, literally risking the life and limb of their patients.
Perhaps the most infamous of these surgeon impostors is John "Butcher" Brown, a US surgeon who became something of a celebrity for transgender reassignment surgery, until he was outed as having never passed the necessary exams.
In 1998 he was prosecuted and given a fifteen year prison sentence after committing a fatal surgical error.
Many of his patients from over the years have, in recent years, succeeded in securing medical negligence compensation from the disgraced "surgeon".
The General Medical Council and the Royal College of Surgeons
Fortunately, in the UK all doctors and surgeons must be registered with the General Medical Council and Royal College of Surgeons respectively. This system of accreditation works to ensure no vigilante or impostor medical practitioners slip through the net and fosters a system that reduces incidents of clinical negligence.
Making a medical negligence compensation claim
Here at YouClaim, our solicitors have years of experience in successfully resolving medical negligence compensation claims in the claimant's favour.
All our personal injury solicitors are governed by the high standards of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and offer their services to you at absolutely no cost.
YouClaim also guarantee to protect you from any possible legal costs incurred by the opposing side.
In addition, we reassure our clients that no one will ever be entitled to take a cut from their compensation award.
If you have experienced substandard care in a clinical setting and you would like to claim medical negligence compensation, call us on 0800 10 757 95.
Alternatively, you may wish to discuss your claim on e-chat, fill out an online claim form or request a call-back for a convenient time.
