Medical Misdiagnosis Claims
For some conditions, a medical misdiagnosis could have serious consequences if it results in the wrong treatment, or even a delay in receiving the correct treatment. If you’ve been given an incorrect or delayed diagnosis of a medical condition, we can help you establish whether or not you’re entitled to claim for compensation.
Our specialist team provides expert legal advice in different languages to clients who have been involved in medical negligence claims, including those relating to misdiagnosis. They operate on a No Win No Fee basis, meaning that you won’t pay any fees unless your case is successful.
How might a medical misdiagnosis arise?
A medical misdiagnosis means that a medical practitioner has incorrectly diagnosed the medical cause of one or more symptoms reported by a patient. It’s worth remembering that in many instances – especially for a minor medical condition – the misdiagnosis can result in little or no consequence.
It’s also possible for a condition to be misdiagnosed even when medical practitioners have taken all reasonable steps. This is always a possibility with rare illnesses, or with symptoms that can commonly occur with a large number of illnesses.
Medical practitioners don’t have limitless resources to test patients for every conceivable illness. However, they should take all reasonable steps and fully account for the patient’s previous medical history.
A misdiagnosis could mean:
- A delay in treatment as a result of a delayed diagnosis
- Completely missing the diagnosis
- An incorrect diagnosis, resulting in incorrect treatment or surgery
- Psychological harm from being given an incorrect diagnosis
To claim for compensation, you must prove negligence on the part of the medical practitioners whose care you were under. If they have followed all reasonable steps to correctly diagnose you, they may not be found to be negligent.
If however important symptoms were missed, questions were not asked or you have underlying conditions which weren’t taken into account as part of your diagnosis, you may have been affected by negligent treatment.
What could the implications of a medical misdiagnosis be?
The full implications will depend on a number of factors, especially the nature and extent of your illness and your underlying health.
As a patient it can be difficult to fully appreciate how the diagnosis has affected you. If there was an illness, it’s likely that your health might have suffered somewhat anyway. A compensation claim will need to separate the suffering you did experience from that which you might have still suffered had the illness been diagnosed earlier and treated correctly.
To support your claim, we always obtain medical reports. If it helps support your claim further, we may also appoint independent medical experts to help establish the impact of the misdiagnosis on your health.
If you’ve lost a family member or loved one as a result of a serious misdiagnosis, we can help you claim for compensation for your loss and get answers to help you come to terms with the negligent treatment they received.
How much compensation might I receive for a negligent misdiagnosis?
The amount of compensation you receive very much depends on your specific circumstances. That’s why we recommend that you get in touch with us promptly so that we can discuss the details of your misdiagnosis with you.
You may be able to claim for the following if they are a direct result of your injuries:
- Compensation for distress and upheaval
- Loss of earnings and financial losses incurred
- Medical costs, prescription fees, care and rehabilitation costs
- Adaptations to your home or vehicle
- Damage to your property
- Travel expenses incurred
We can help you assess your future needs and work with you to agree the level of compensation that you may be entitled to as a result of any negligent treatment.
Do I have a valid claim for compensation?
If you can answer yes to all three of the following questions, we recommend that you contact us to discuss your circumstances further:
- Was the misdiagnosis within the last three years?
- Was someone else to blame for the misdiagnosis?
- Has your health suffered as a result of the misdiagnosis or treatment?
Answering ‘yes’ to all three doesn’t mean that a successful claim is certain. However, these questions are key to the claims process. Answering yes to all three does indicate that you have a greater chance of being entitled to claim. Getting prompt, specialist legal advice could be beneficial.
Because of the three-year time limit, it’s important that you contact us promptly so that we can start the process for you.
How do I begin a compensation claim for medical misdiagnosis?
Call us on 0208 1111 911 or contact us through the website and we’ll discuss your circumstances with you. The first call typically takes about 15 minutes and in that time we can usually determine whether or not it’s realistic to pursue a claim for compensation.
