Every now and then we all go to a doctor when not feeling well. We expect to get proper health care. That is what we all expect when we become ill and seek medical attention, both from our General Practitioner (GP) and hospital.
Sadly, once in a while mistakes are made such as a doctor providing insufficient amounts of medication or giving improper instructions on how to administer medicine. All these errors can easily have detrimental effect to an individual’s health.
A claim can be made against a GP or pharmacist for mistakes made as a result of illegible handwritten prescriptions or abbreviations on prescriptions which result in a patient being given the wrong prescription.
If a patient is given the wrong dosage or if two drugs with similar spellings are confused, the damage to the patient can sometimes be irreversible.
It does not matter who made the error whether a GP or pharmacist. Protect your rights by consulting a
medical negligence solicitor. You have a right to make a clinical negligence claim for your pain and suffering and sometimes you may get an apology from the doctor or pharmacist.
Some of our clients make
medical negligence claims not necessarily for the purpose of getting compensation but to use court action or the threat of court proceedings as a deterrence against similar incidents taking place.
Errors in Accident and Amergency Units
The chaos in accident and emergency departments lead to high-stress levels for medical professionals and other hospital staff and naturally mistakes are made.
Regardless of how busy doctors are, hospitals have a duty to put in place and implement procedures and policies that should be aimed at minimising the risks of medical errors.
Common Accident and Emergency Unit mistakes include:
(i) Delaying the provision of treatment;
(ii) Delaying the diagnosis of illnesses;
(iii) Misdiagnosing medical conditions;
(iv) Failing to diagnose medical problems;
(v) Failing to fully assess patients;
(vi) Providing wrong medications; and
(vii) Many other minor errors such as poor sanitation.
If your medical condition has become worse as a result of errors at the Accident and Emergency unit, for instance, because of the delay in your treatment or because of wrong diagnosis of your condition or because of the delay in diagnosing your problem, you may be entitled to make a claim for
medical negligence compensation.
What to provide to your medical negligence solicitor
If you have been a victim of a doctor’s error, the most important thing is for you to get better treatment first. You should see another doctor, preferably a senior one.
The next step is for you to contact your solicitor. Your lawyer will need access to all your medical records including your hospital records to be able to assess whether or not you have a claim with a reasonable chance of success.
At Balinda and Company solicitors we believe that you deserve to be fully compensated for your pain and suffering and we strive to protect your rights whether it is a failure to diagnose your medical condition or a delay in providing you treatment. We put our heart and soul into helping you.