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Medical Negligence Solicitors
If you have suffered harm as a result of medical negligence, our specialist solicitors will help you claim the compensation you deserve.
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What is medical negligence?
Medical negligence (also called clinical negligence) refers to a situation where healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, or other medical staff, fail to provide the standard of care that is reasonably expected in their field, leading to harm or injury to the patient. It is a form of medical malpractice by the NHS or private healthcare providers where the care provided falls below the accepted level of competence, and results in negative consequences for the patient.
In medical negligence cases, a patient must typically prove that:
- A duty of care existed between the healthcare provider and the patient (which is generally the case when the patient seeks medical treatment).
- Breach of that duty occurred, meaning the healthcare provider did not meet the expected standard of care.
- Causation: The breach of duty directly led to the patient’s injury or harm.
- Damage: The patient suffered harm, whether physical, emotional, or financial, as a result of the breach.
Medical Negligence Services
If you have suffered harm from substandard medical care, our specialist solicitors can help you understand your options and pursue the compensation you deserve. We represent clients across England and Wales in claims involving misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, surgical error, and birth injury, on a No Win, No Fee basis.
Types of Medical Negligence
Medical negligence happens when the care you receive falls below the standard you should be able to expect, and causes you harm. It can happen at any point in your treatment, from your first diagnosis right through to aftercare. Some of the most common examples we see include:
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis – your condition is missed, misidentified, or not picked up quickly enough, giving it time to get worse.
- Surgical errors – mistakes made during an operation that should never have happened, such as the wrong procedure being carried out or something being left behind inside the body.
- Medication errors – being prescribed the wrong drug or dose, or not having your allergies and existing medications checked properly first.
- Failures in clinical advice or consent – not being told about the risks of a treatment, or not being made aware of other options, so you couldn’t make a properly informed decision.
- Pregnancy and birth injuries – harm caused to mother or baby due to inadequate care during pregnancy, labour, or delivery.
- Anaesthesia errors – being given the wrong dose, or not being monitored properly during a procedure, which can lead to complications or even waking up during surgery.
If any of this sounds like what happened to you, we’re here to talk it through. Our team can help you understand what went wrong and whether you’re able to make a claim.
Who can be held liable?
Medical negligence claims aren’t just about hospitals or doctors in general, a claim can be brought against any healthcare professional who fails in their duty of care towards you. This includes:
- GPs, specialists, surgeons, and hospital doctors – who can be held accountable if the care or treatment they provide falls below an acceptable standard.
- Nurses and nursing staff – who may be liable if they breach the duty of care they owe to patients.
- Dentists and orthodontists – if substandard care or mistakes are made during dental treatment or procedures.
- Pharmacists – who dispense the wrong medication, or give incorrect advice about how medicines should be taken.
- Midwives – if appropriate care isn’t provided before, during, or after childbirth, leading to harm to mother or baby.
- Anaesthetists – who administer anaesthesia incorrectly, or fail to properly monitor a patient during surgery.
- Radiologists – who misread scans, X-rays, or MRIs, leading to an incorrect or missed diagnosis.
- Ophthalmologists – if eye conditions are misdiagnosed, incorrect prescriptions are given, or eye surgery is carried out incorrectly.
Whoever was responsible for your care, our solicitors can help you understand where liability may lie and whether you have grounds for a claim.
How to make a clinical negligence claim
1
Contact our team
Get in touch at your earliest convenience. We offer a free initial consultation to assess the merits of your case, the best way forward and discuss how we can help.
2
We build your case
Early contact means we can start working on your case while the details of your treatment are still fresh, helping us build the strongest possible case on your behalf.
3
Secure your compensation
Where the NHS or private healthcare provider acknowledges liability early on, we may be able to secure interim compensation payments ahead of your final settlement, helping cover medical costs and living expenses while you recover.
Why choose Williamsons Solicitors for your claim
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A team you can trust to listen and support you.
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Based in East Yorkshire, serving clients across England and Wales.
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Claim with confidence and no financial risk.
Hear from the people we have helped
They provided a friendly, thorough, fair and transparent service.
A&H
Excellent staff and couldn’t wish for a better company to deal with it very compassionate.
CARL ANDREW
I was always greeted with a smile and the offer of a cup of coffee.
PETER
What was an extremely difficult time for us, was handled with care, compassion and total professionalism.
NEIL
Medical Negligence Team
Get In TouchMedical Negligence FAQs
The first step in pursuing a clinical negligence claim is to contact our clinical negligence lawyers at your earliest convenience. We offer a free initial consultation, during which we will assess the merits of your case and what we can do to help you.
Early contact enables us to begin working on your case while the details remain fresh.
If the NHS or the relevant private healthcare provider acknowledges liability at an early stage, we may be able to secure interim compensation payments to assist with your rehabilitation. These payments, provided in advance of your final settlement, can help cover immediate medical expenses and living costs as you recover.
Our Clinical Negligence Solicitors work on a no win, no fee basis, ensuring you don’t have to worry about legal costs if your claim is unsuccessful.
Generally, you must initiate a clinical negligence claim within three years of discovering that you have received negligent treatment.
This timeframe typically begins once you realise that your injury or illness has worsened, as the full extent of the harm may not be immediately apparent.
However, there are exceptions to this rule:
Children: Claims involving clinical negligence and a child can be made at any time before the child turns 18. Once your child reaches 18, the three-year time limit applies, meaning the claim must be filed before they turn 21.
Mental Capacity: If an individual lacks the mental capacity to bring a claim themselves, there is no time limit for initiating a claim on their behalf. The limitation period only begins once the person regains capacity or a legal representative is appointed.
There's no single "average" payout, as compensation depends on the severity of your injury, its impact on your life, and any financial losses such as lost earnings or care costs. Some claims settle for a few thousand pounds, while more serious cases can reach six-figure settlements. We can give you a clearer picture of what your claim might be worth once we've reviewed the details.
You may have a claim if a healthcare professional failed to provide an acceptable standard of care, and that failure caused you harm that wouldn't otherwise have happened. This isn't always easy to assess yourself, which is why we offer a free initial consultation. We'll listen to what happened and give you honest advice on whether you have grounds to proceed.
Yes. The NHS is one of the most common parties named in clinical negligence claims, and you have exactly the same right to claim against an NHS provider as you would a private one. Claims against the NHS are typically handled by NHS Resolution, and our solicitors have extensive experience dealing with this process on our clients' behalf.
Clinical negligence claims can be complex, as you need to show both that your care fell below an acceptable standard and that this directly caused your harm. Medical evidence and expert opinion usually play a key role. It's not something we'd recommend tackling alone, but with the right legal support, many cases that seem daunting at first can be built into a strong claim.
Not usually. The majority of clinical negligence claims are settled through negotiation, without ever reaching a courtroom. We'll always aim to resolve your claim as efficiently as possible, though if a fair settlement can't be agreed, we're fully prepared to take your case to court to secure the right outcome for you.
A patient recall letter is sent by a hospital or healthcare provider asking a patient to return for further review, often because a concern has been identified with their previous care or treatment. Receiving one can understandably be worrying, and it's worth speaking to a solicitor to understand what it might mean for you.
A Letter of Claim is a formal document sent to the healthcare provider responsible for your care, setting out the details of your claim, including what went wrong and the harm it caused. It's an important early step in the legal process and gives the other side the opportunity to respond before formal proceedings begin.
Try not to panic, but don't ignore it either. It's a good idea to speak to a solicitor as soon as possible, as a recall letter can sometimes indicate that something went wrong with your care. We can help you understand what the letter means and whether you may be entitled to make a claim.
This varies depending on the complexity of your case. Straightforward claims where liability is accepted early may settle within 12 to 18 months, while more complex cases, particularly those involving long-term injuries or disputed liability, can take several years. We'll always aim to progress your claim as quickly as possible, while securing the compensation you're entitled to.
Not necessarily. While we have offices in East Yorkshire, we support clients across the UK and can handle your claim by phone, email, or video call, wherever you're based.
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