Accident and Emergency Negligence Claims

Accident and Emergency Negligence Claims Expertise

In short, Accident and Emergency negligence claims often arise from a sweltering, overwhelming working atmosphere.

That’s because the A&E department is one of the busiest in a hospital. But that is also no reason you should not receive a high standard of care.

Huge numbers – tens of thousands of people visit A&E in England alone. This volume of patients, together with the naturally busy environment, means mistakes happen. Mistakes, we might add, with potentially life-changing or even fatal consequences, too.

Accident and Emergency Negligence Claims Experts Will Help You

The Medical Negligence Experts work with some of the UK’s best compensation lawyers. Accordingly, your case receives the knowledge and experience necessary to seek the maximum compensation that you are entitled to for your injury.

For many people, claiming compensation will be their first experience of the UK’s legal system. Accordingly, we respect that it can feel daunting or confusing. We make it easy by assigning you a single point of contact and avoiding using unnecessary legal jargon.

When you need to speak with your solicitor, you can call or email them directly. We won’t put you through an impersonal call centre, either. Fact is, you shouldn’t have to repeat your case to people with no knowledge of your situation or legal background.

The Medical Negligence Experts offer you a no-obligation, free conversation to answer any questions you have about claiming compensation for A&E negligence, including whether or not you could be eligible. With the right guidance, you can consider the options in front of you. Moreover, you can decide what is the best way to proceed based on your individual circumstances.

What is Accident and Emergency Negligence?

Accident and Emergency (A&E) negligence is when you receive care that either makes your condition worse or which causes further injury or illness that impacts negatively on your health. The role of A&E is to assess your situation and either treat or refer you for treatment as quickly as possible.

No matter how experienced, well-intentioned, or skilled staff in A&E departments are, they are humans working under an often immense amount of pressure and can, unfortunately, make mistakes.

The outcome of A&E negligence ranges from being a temporary inconvenience to life-threatening.

Different Types of Accident and Emergency Negligence

We see a lot as experts in helping clients claim compensation for medical negligence. In short, The Medical Negligence Experts have found accident and emergency negligence claims frequently relates to either:

• a delay in diagnosis, or;
• misdiagnosis.

Examples can include:

• Rushing examination and misdiagnosing the cause of a condition.
• Not referring a patient for appropriate tests, such as an X-ray or scan.
• Reading the results of tests incorrectly.
• Improperly recording the results of any assessments which can lead to mistreatment at a later stage.
• Not recognising the critical nature of a patient’s condition leading to delaying their treatment and a worsening of their health.
• An injury from using the incorrect technique to move a patient, or because they don’t employ adequate safety procedures.
• Prescribing or dispensing wrong medication.
• Causing a delay in treatment, or not escalating necessary treatment, if a patient’s condition worsens.
• Discharging a patient prematurely.

Wheelchair or Bed A&E Negligence

There is absolutely no reason a patient should suffer injury falling from a wheelchair or bed in a hospital; however, this level of negligence is quite common. Wheelchair falls can happen when a patient doesn’t receive the correct support getting in and out of the chair. Meanwhile, falls from trolleys or beds occur when professionals don’t secure the sides correctly.

Also, if no one gives the patient necessary assistance getting in or out of bed. Wheelchair falls and falls from beds can cause significant injury, particularly to elderly patients. Especially with fractured hips and legs being a frequent and painful result.

Other cases we have seen feature inexperienced staff making a diagnosis without seeking appropriate support from a senior doctor. Also, there’s often a mistaking of the symptoms of a life-threatening virus for a far less severe illness.

A&E Accident and Emergency Compensation Claim Case Studies

A typical example of a successful claim for A&E negligence compensation was made by the parent of a child who presented at A&E one evening with severe asthma. As a known asthmatic, she needs a peak expiry flow measurement & a nebuliser.

Unfortunately, the A&E nurse who assessed the patient did not follow this recognised protocol and told the parent the child should see their GP the following day. The girl goes home at the urging of A&E, only to suffer a massive asthma attack in the night. Despite calling an ambulance, the girl suffers in cardiac arrest, developing brain damage from lack of oxygen.

Medical negligence lawyers later prove that her asthma attack was avoidable with the correct treatment in A&E. They showed that even if following protocol doesn’t prevent the attack completely, that her injuries would not have been life-changing. Effectively, she would experience a delay waiting for an ambulance and transfer to hospital.

A six-figure compensation amount, therefore, recognises the need for ongoing nursing care and support for the rest of her life.

How Can We Help?

The first step is to contact us if inadequate emergency treatment harms your health. We appreciate raising a claim can feel like a daunting experience. But our team of experts make sure you’re up-to-date and know what’s going on every step of the way.

In our initial conversation, we’ll talk to you about your experience and assess whether your claim has merit. The solicitors we work with have access to independent medical experts who can help build the evidence you need for a successful compensation claim.

Every client’s situation is unique – even the same type of injury can have vastly different effects on the life of one victim compared to another. That’s why we take the time to completely understand the nature of your accident and the impact it has had on your life, your finances, and your family.

Our job is to support you through the process of obtaining compensation. Money won’t take away the pain and trauma you may endure. But it can ease your situation by covering the cost of lost earnings or additional rehabilitation. Compensation is also about having someone take responsibility for your situation. Plus, obtaining answers about why it happens, and helping you move on.

NHS Negligence Claims vs. NHS Complaints

Not every instance of negligence will lead to a compensation claim, however. It’s possible to suffer negligent care without injury, just like receiving an injury where no one is at fault.

For your claim to be valid, you must prove that your injury results from substandard care. Moreover, that with proper treatment in a similar hospital, you would probably not suffer in the same way.

Talk to us about whether you could have a claim for compensation. The NHS has specific processes and organisations to handle claims and complaints. Moreover, the law firms that we work with can help you navigate them to obtain the most positive outcome.

Raising a complaint about the negligent care you receive in A&E can be beneficial for supporting your compensation claim. The findings of the complaint can help to prove that human error or institutional failings cause your injury. Furthermore, it can help prevent another patient from suffering the way you have. You won’t receive any compensation from a complaint, but it can strengthen your application for damages.

A successful compensation claim will give you money in recognition of the physical and emotional suffering you endure. But it won’t give you an apology or the reassurance that steps will be taken to prevent a future occurrence.

The NHS Litigation Authority handles every compensation claim brought against the NHS, with 98% of them setting out of court. Of the remaining 2%, some close when the claimant decides not to proceed, which leaves only a slight chance that your A&E negligence claim will go to court. If it does, you can feel confident that your medical negligence solicitor will support you. Above all, we’re continuing to fight for maximum compensation for your claim.

Claiming Compensation for A&E Negligence

There are several criteria to fulfil for your request to be a success.

• First, you suffer an injury or illness, which is often a result of a search of your medical records. But your personal injury lawyer may arrange for you to have an independent assessment. Specifically, one from a medical expert to help provide a comprehensive report.
• Your injury resulted from negligent care. This aspect is more difficult and where the experience of your lawyer will assist you greatly. They will collect evidence like your medical records and history of treatment, important witness statements, findings from a formal complaint (if you raised one), and a comparison with industry standards. As the claimant, it is your role to show that your care fell below an acceptable standard. Moreover, with treatment at a similar facility, you wouldn’t suffer the negligent care or subsequent injury or illness.
• It has been less than three years since the date of your injury or the date your condition links officially to your treatment.

This last point is of particular importance as, even if you can produce adequate evidence to prove your claim. For instance, if you wait more than three years to begin, they automatically dismiss your claim. Claim processing times tend to be faster when they begin as soon as possible as doing so makes it easier to obtain relevant evidence to prove the application’s validity.

We always recommend you contact us at the earliest opportunity regarding injury due to Accident and Emergency negligence. It does not matter if you are still recovering, or if you are unsure whether you want to proceed with a claim, our partnered medical negligence lawyers can give you the expert legal advice you need to make the right choice.

No Win No Fee* Medical Negligence Compensation Claims

Lack of finances should never be a barrier to accessing top-quality legal advice and representation. We make claiming compensation affordable for everyone as all of our partnered law firms can offer you No Win No Fee* medical negligence compensation claims.

*No Win No Fee: Typically, customers pay 25% including VAT of the compensation amount that is recovered by our third-party law firms, although this is subject to your individual circumstances and the actual fee may be more or less than this. Termination fees may apply if you do not keep to the terms of the agreement.

Sometimes known as a Conditional Fee Agreement, a No Win No Fee* agreement takes away the financial risk associated with starting a compensation claim. If your application is not successful, you will not pay your solicitor a penny, and an After the Event insurance policy will cover the cost of the defendant’s legal fees.

If your request for payment of damages is successful*, you will pay your solicitor a success fee. This is a percentage of your compensation that both you and your solicitor agree at the start of the claim.

No Win No Fee* agreements gives you the extra reassurance that your claim has a good chance of succeeding. Because they are the ones taking the risk, your lawyer will only agree to take your case after thoroughly researching your injury and the circumstances around it. You can trust that they will work their hardest on your behalf because if you don’t get paid, they don’t either.

What does compensation do?

Compensation recognises your physical pain and suffering (general damages), and reimburses you for the money you pay as a result of negligent care (special damages). Some expenses special damages cover can include:

• travelling costs;
• prescription charges;
• private medical treatment;
• such as physiotherapy, and;
• wages lost while you have been recovering and unable to work.

Talk to The Medical Negligence Experts today. Either call us free or fill in our online contact form and we will phone at a time that suits you.

*conditions apply