Types of doctors and where they may have treated you
There are many different types of doctors. For example, you may have been treated by a doctor in a hospital or a specialist clinic. Other examples include:
- Specialists in treating children, paediatricians
- Accident & Emergency doctors
- Surgeons
- Cancer specialists, oncologists
If you would like information about GP/family doctor negligence please see here.
Making a compensation claim for doctor negligence
You may have seen a doctor under the NHS, or on a private basis.
Claims for compensation against doctors who provided private treatment (either paid for by you or through health insurance) will need to be made against them individually. However, the process of the claim remains the same.
You may choose to make a formal complaint about the treatment you have received from a doctor, and can do this at the same time as investigating a claim for compensation. Please note that making a complaint does not prevent the time from running towards the strict deadlines that apply to bringing a claim.
The doctor may provide an apology. This is not the same as admitting negligence and does not necessarily mean that a claim for compensation will succeed. However, we understand that for many patients, an apology when something goes wrong can provide valuable recognition of what has happened, and the impact that this has had.
Proving that medical negligence happened
In a claim for compensation for doctor negligence, you (with the help of your specialist solicitor) will need to prove that:
- The doctor owed you a duty of care which was breached because the standard of treatment they provided fell below that which was expected of a doctor with their expertise
- No other responsible group of doctors would have acted in that way
- This has directly caused you to suffer an injury
At Bolt Burdon Kemp we work with independent medical doctors to consider the treatment you have received, the consequences of any negligence, how you are currently affected and are likely to be in the future.
