Medical negligence claim

[Ben19731]

Hi team,

Has anyone made an medical negligence claim against the NHS?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated x

[Maninthemirtor]

Hi Ben

I haven't made an official complaint but have raised a concern about my first Consultant. My post just now will explain why.

Hope all goes well with you. If you feel a claim is necessary then you need to do what is best for you.

[Happyrosie]

I haven’t, personally, though I’ve an acquaintance who has done so successfully. She found it absolutely draining and expensive. It was intrusive and very long-winded. She only persevered because she had trained as a nurse.

but have you already gone through other steps such as PALS?

[Ben19731 in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you, I will give PALS a call tomorrow.

[bee_bear]

Hi Ben, I had a look into making a complaint a few months ago and found this website helpful:

healthwatch.co.uk/help-make...

I haven't yet made a complaint, as I am too poorly to do something like this just now. Hope it helps you.

[Ben19731 in reply to bee_bear]

Thanks Bee_Bear x

[EU95PTM]

I am currently in process of doing so but as it is ongoing I can’t really talk about specifics. All I would say is be prepared for it to take a long time. I’m 12 months in and a long way off reaching any sort of conclusion. Any decent solicitor will apply for your GP notes and hospital records and will conduct a thorough assessment of the potential for a successful claim before agreeing to take on your case. It is not easy or pleasant to pursue a claim so be sure you are prepared to stand up in court if that is where it ends up.

[Ben19731 in reply to EU95PTM]

Thank you for your reply. I feel I have no choice but to start a claim but will look into all avenues. Have a great day x

[VelvetSky]

Hi, I received very inappropriate treatment, complained to PALS, got nowhere,, I now have an ongoing complaint to the Health Ombudsman, you have to be very persistent, they will drag it out in the hope you give up, but I am very bitter and twisted!

[Ben19731]

Hi VelvetSky, I am sure you're not bitter or twisted but do stay strong. x

[beardy_chris]

Talk to the nice people at Action against Medical Accidents (avma.org.uk/) - they can be very helpful.

On the whole though the system is stacked against you and you won't get much compensation.

[Anon2023]

hi. I’m in the process of making a formal complaint (not a negligence claim as such) because the nhs blatantly lied on my health records and I have evidence of this. It’s been fairly straight forward but I have little faith in the system for that matter due to my previous experiences. I have my doubts about how independent and impartial PALS and the complaint teams are, given that they are also NHS employees. As much as people hold the NHS in high esteem, they do sometimes act in a negligent and fraudulent manner and I firmly believe that they should be held to account. Whether you have the time, energy and finances to do this is another matter. Good luck.

[serenfach]

Yes, I have done the whole thing. After 2 years they found it was my fault as I made my artery go into spasm while anaethatised. I had a fairly straightforward kidney removal that ended up with me on life support.

Anyway, here are the steps to help you.

1.Get your medical records first before doing anything or certain things will be removed. When you get them, dont be surprised if a lot of what you see is not true. Concentrate on the case in hand.

2. Check your house insurance to see if you have legal cover, This can save you a lot of money.

3. Write down your complaint in detail and send it to the head of the hospital. Dont go lower or you will be fobbed off.

4. If no joy, get a solicitor to write a letter before action. They dont like this and may actually open your file to see what went wrong.

It is a long hard journey with very few complaints going through, but the effect on the medical person can be that he/she is quietly shuffled sideways or down.

Good luck!

[Luckystay]

Hi BenSorry I'm late replying, only just seen your posts so hope you're ok and still looking at your replies! I noticed in another of your posts that you'd mentioned having Conn's Syndrome and wondered if you'd decided to go down the 'negligence' route because of this? From my experience it seems to be the chicken or the egg - which came first, your heart problems, or high blood pressure which has caused the heart problems? If you know what I mean?! I am facing a similar dilemma re Conn's and heart failure and am considering going down the same route ie negligence. I've just asked for copy of all my medical records and it would be good to know that there are others who have followed this path. Best of luck to you, I hope you see my belated reply and can let me know how it's going. Thank you