The 4 Most Common Types of Medical Negligence Claims: Do You Have a Claim?

We are fortunate enough to be able to access medical care when we need it, with great medical staff and out-of-this-world technology that helps us spot diseases and illnesses quickly and effectively.  

However, sometimes there are often major complications for some people. There have been cases where medical staff have misdiagnosed their patients, therefore the patient either missed out on appropriate treatment or was mistreated.

This blog post will focus on the four main types of medical negligence that happen across the UK. 

Medical Misdiagnosis

This is the most common type of claim. It is where a doctor, as previously mentioned, fails to diagnose their patient correctly which often leads to the condition getting worse.

If you, or another person you know, are a victim of being misdiagnosed or mistreated,  then you’re likely to be able to file a claim.

Surgical Negligence 

A patient has to have a great deal of trust in their medical staff, after all, they are quite literally putting their own life in their hands. So, it is promising to know that surgical negligence claims are rare and often even labelled ‘never events’. 

All operations come with either a small or high amount of risk, depending on how serious the surgery is. If the surgery makes the patient slightly worse, or it doesn’t completely fix the issue, then this is just one of the risks of surgery, and a claim cannot be made. 

However, everyone is welcome to an adequate level of care and if the performance of surgery isn’t done to an acceptable standard, or the wrong surgery was given on the wrong part of the body, this is where a claim could be made.

Medication Error Negligence 

This is where the wrong prescription of antibiotics is given; whether this is the wrong tablet completely, or whether the wrong dosage had been prescribed.

Taking the wrong medication may make an illness worse and result in some serious side effects. In some cases, the wrong dosages have been given, resulting in overdoses and serious fatalities. 

However, before filing a claim, it is important to check the prescription to ensure that the tablets were not being misused by the patient. It is important to check that it was definitely being taken how the doctor ordered – it is surprising how many people risk their own lives by taking the wrong dose by not reading or listening properly.

Pregnancy and Birth Injuries

Giving birth to someone that has been carried for the previous 9 months should be a happy time for families. However, birth injuries are very common, unfortunately.  

Midwives should be able to spot conditions such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia in the mother, and if these are missed, then this could lead to a claim too. 

NICE outline the normal process for screening foetal abnormalities, infections and other conditions and rarely, these are either ignored or not done to an adequate standard. From this, either the mother or baby could suffer.

If you or someone you know thinks that they should file for a medical negligence case, then it would be best to speak to a professional before going ahead with it. The team at Enable Law are always happy to offer legal advice and discuss whether they think it would be worth going forward with a case.