Although you may already feel like you have been through too much if you have been unlucky enough to experience clinical negligence while in the care of medical professionals, there are some very good reasons why making a claim for what happened to you is a good idea.
While legal aid is now no longer available for most types of clinical negligence claims, as was previously the case, there are some areas where this can still be obtained. Even if you are not eligible for legal aid there are other ways of funding your case to ensure that you can get the access to justice that you are entitled to.
One of the main reasons to pursue a claim for clinical negligence is to be awarded compensation for the damage caused by the professional/hospital trust involved in an attempt to put you back in the position you would have been had the negligence not occurred. You may have ongoing, lifelong costs as a result of the medical negligence and you may already be struggling with the changes that are required to your life in order to accommodate the consequences of what happened.
Many situations of clinical negligence result in a requirement for lifelong care and this can be incredibly onerous on you and on family and friends, which is where compensation can come in useful to pay for help and assistance. This is particularly in the light of the recent swathes of benefit cuts and the slashing of hospital budgets.
Obtaining an apology from the person or organisation responsible is another very good reason to pursue a claim for clinical negligence. If you have been seriously injured as a result of someone else’s actions then you are entitled to receive an apology for it – an acknowledgement of the situation is often the first step for many when it comes to moving on. This may also open the door to review in procedures at the hospital or other healthcare provider concerned, the removal of unsafe staff or triggering of necessary disciplinary processes where a claim has uncovered serious problems within the system.
The steps involved in making a claim are also much simpler than you might imagine. This begins with obtaining access to your medical records, as well as requesting the independent and unbiased opinions of medical experts as to what is the most likely explanation for the cause of the damage that you suffered. This will then make it possible to establish whether or not there is a medical negligence claim and what amount of compensation would be appropriate under the circumstances.
Compensation payments can include amounts for loss of earnings if you cannot work, or your ability to work is now impaired, it may cover the cost of specialist equipment and care, as well as transport and mobility aids if required. A compensation figure might also make provision for accommodation, as well as the cost of adapting accommodation to make it suitable for someone who has been injured as a result of medical negligence. In addition to this is the compensation for the unnecessary pain and suffering that you have had to endure as a direct result of the negligence.
There are many good reasons to pursue a claim for medical negligence where you have been injured by a negligent medical professional. If you would like to make a claim then please feel free to contact us and we will assess if we can help you obtain compensation to make life just that little bit easier.