By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 10th November 2023. Welcome to our guide to doctor negligence compensation claims: how to claim against a doctor or claim against a GP. In this GP negligence claims guide, we are going to take a look at GP negligence compensation claims in greater length. We’ll also answer the question of ‘when I claim medical negligence, how much will I get? ‘Can I sue my doctor for negligence?’ and ‘How much money can you get for medical negligence that causes mental trauma?’
When you are unwell, the first person you usually turn to is your General Practitioner. GPs are usually the people you trust the most with your health, and they have a duty of care to ensure your health and wellbeing at all times, by providing a safe standard of care. While GPs usually treat their patients well and help to diagnose and treat illnesses, sometimes this process goes wrong.
The medical negligence claim process is complicated and can be long-running. Therefore it is always advisable that you receive professional legal advice regarding any medical claims in order to ensure the highest probability of you having a successful claim. Accident Claims UK can put you in touch with a specialist solicitor who has years of experience with GP negligence compensation claims and who will be with you every step of the way.
Call us today on 0800 073 8801, and one of our team will get you in touch with your specialist.
If you are unsure whether or not you have a claim and would like more information on medical negligence compensation guidelines and medical negligence solicitors, this guide will give you all the valuable information you need.
Medical Negligence Compensation Claims Guide
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What Is GP Negligence And When Could I Claim?
All medical professionals, including GPs, owe their patients a duty of care. Per their duty, they must ensure that they provide their patients with the correct standard of care when treating them.
To be eligible to make a claim against a GP for medical negligence, you will need to meet the following criteria:
- The GP must have owed you a duty of care.
- They breached this duty.
- Due to this breach, you suffered unnecessary harm.
However, it is important to note that there may be certain circumstances where you suffer harm, but a medical professional did not breach their duty of care. In this instance, you may not be able to make a claim for GP negligence compensation.
To learn more about GP negligence claims, or to check the eligibility of your case, you can contact our advisory team.
How Could GP Negligence Occur?
As previously mentioned, the term “GP negligence” can cover a range of actions that can have disastrous consequences. As GPs have such a big responsibility with their patients, negligence on their behalf can have wide-reaching consequences. Here are just a few of the more common examples of GP negligence and the effects they can have on the patient:
- Misdiagnosis– if a GP gets it wrong when diagnosing their patient, there can be numerous consequences. Diagnosing the wrong condition can lead to worsening symptoms and long term or permanent side effects for the patient. In some NHS negligence, pay-outs death has been the ultimate consequence when fatal illnesses were misdiagnosed, and therefore the correct treatment has been delayed.
- Late diagnosis– the right diagnosis is eventually made. Still, due to the negligence of the GP, the delay in diagnosis means that there may be permanent repercussions for the patient or the patient has been made to unduly suffer from their condition, which may lead to a claim against a GP.
- Failure to diagnose- in this case, no diagnosis is made at all leaving the patient with poor advice and no treatment for their condition.
- Procedures going wrong- Doctor negligence compensation claims can arise when small procedures performed by GPs go wrong, leaving the patient with side effects that they were not expecting.
- Incorrect prescriptions– giving a patient the wrong medication can be disastrous, and doing this is a blatant case of medical negligence on behalf of the prescribing GP.
These are just some of the most common medical negligence compensation examples, and it is important to remember that all GP negligence compensation claims are different and individual. It is always advisable to seek professional advice regarding your own medical negligence claims process; call us today for more insight into making a claim against a doctor.
Medical Negligence Claims Process – Collecting Evidence
Evidence plays an important role in this process. if you can present supporting evidence to bolster your claim, you could further your chances of success and receiving an early settlement. You are primarily looking for evidence that could show the negligent actions, or inactions, of your GP, and the avoidable harm that was caused to you.
You could present evidence of this in several forms such as:
- Medical records of your treatment
- Your correspondence with the hospital
- A medical report of the avoidable harm you suffered
- Receipts, payslips and other records of financial losses you may have suffered.
A member of our team could be able to advise you on how to collect evidence for your claim and how to write a letter before claim. They could also potentially put you through to a No Win No Fee solicitor to help manage these actions on your behalf.
If you have been affected by the actions of a negligent doctor, or other form of medical professional working within a GP, please reach out to us to learn more about the medical negligence claims process.
Examples Of Medical Negligence Payouts
In successful GP negligence claims, compensation could be made up of two heads. Legal professionals consider different factors when calculating your negligent doctor claim. Compensation for negligence may include general damages as well as special damages.
Your pain and suffering as well as any psychological injuries that developed as a result of the medical negligence are compensated for under general damages. In the section below, we’ve provided examples of general damages compensation for negligence from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG provides figures for injuries which legal professionals can use to help assign value to claims.
| Type of injury | Pay-out bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Serious Illnesses and Injuries Plus Financial Losses | Up to £500,000+ | Multiple illnesses or injuries will be compensated as well as loss of earnings and other financial losses. |
| Brain damage (a) | £282,010 to £403,990 | Where there is little to no response to environment, but they may be able to follow some basic commands. |
| Kidney (a) | £169,400 to £210,400 | Damage to or loss of both kidneys. |
| Kidney (b) | Up to £63,980 | Risks of loss of function or UTIs in the future. |
| Reproductive Organs – Female | £114,900 to £170,280 |
Infertility resulting from failure to diagnose ectopic pregnancy where there are resulting complications |
| Reproductive Organs – Female | £3,390 to £20,430 |
Where there has been a delay in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy but fertility not affected. |
| Deafness (a) | £109,650 to £140,660 | Where, for example, a rubella infection at a young age has caused deafness which impacts the injured person’s ability to speak |
| Hernia (a) | £14,900 to £24,170 | Serious pain and limitation of physical activity. |
| Laparotomy | In the region of £8,640 | where an exploratory laparotomy has been performed but no significant internal injury has been found, the award reflects the operation and the inevitable scar. |
As a result of your medical negligence injuries, you may incur additional expenses. You could recover the costs under special damages if you have evidence. For example, if the injuries caused by the negligent doctor resulted in time spent off work, you could recover any loss of earnings. You could use payslips to prove this loss. You could also recover costs related to medical expenses, carer costs, and transportation. However, you will need to supply receipts, invoices, or other proof.
You can talk to our advisors for further information about compensation for negligence.
No Win No Fee GP Negligence Claims
If you have suffered as a result of GP negligence, then starting clinical negligence claims on a no win no fee basis ensures that you do not need to worry about any financial commitments. In the case that your claim is not successful, you do not need to pay out any money at all. Alternatively, if your claim is successful, then your solicitor’s fees will be deducted from your medical negligence cases pay-outs at an amount that you will have agreed before the case begins if you are unsure whether you are entitled to compensation, a no win no fee claim offers no financial stress and could help you get compensation for your suffering.
For more information on making a No Win No Fee claim against a GP, get in touch with our team today to discuss FP negligence compensation claims.
Contact Our Team
Call us today on 0800 073 8801 or email us at office@accidentclaims.co.uk to begin the medical negligence claims process and one of our dedicated team will guide you through the next steps. Alternatively, fill out our contact form, and our team will call you back to find out more information about your case.
Useful links
Head here to learn more about GP medical negligence:
- Go here to learn more about medical negligence claims
- Head here for more questions and answers on medical negligence
- Here’s a guide on negligent cosmetic surgery
- Or head here to learn about breast implant negligence
Thank you for reading our guide to doctor negligence compensation claims: how to claim against a doctor or claim against a GP. If you have any questions on GP negligence claims, such as ‘medical negligence, how much will I get?’, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
