Medical Negligence
Medical or Clinical Negligence is rare, we in the UK benefit from a system of medical education and training that is second to none. Our clinicians are among the very best in the world and our clinical facilities are first rate. However, the demands on our medical services are increasing the budgets available for these institutions are either static or decreasing and almost everywhere in the healthcare sector things are stretched thin by this demand. In such environments patient safety suffers. Inevitably, mistakes occur. Many such mistakes can be without significant effect, however, occasionally such mistakes can be catastrophic for the patient concerned. At these times, it is right and appropriate to take things further. We, in Appleby's Clinical Negligence Department only deal with such matters, we are qualified lawyers whose careers have been shaped by the very specialist litigation that surrounds medical negligence claims.
You are not alone
You are not alone. We have a specialist team experts supporting our lawyers who currently practise medicine and cover every conceivable area of medicine. We have specialist solicitors who are highly experienced in in medical negligence law and commit to extensive training not just in law but in medically related subjects as well. Many of our legal team are in fact dual qualified in both medicine and law. They can help you recover a sense of control over your treatment and your life. We have helped thousands of people with the complex process of a hospital related clinical negligence claims and we are accustomed to representing our clients at every stage of the process, through investigation, alternative dispute resolution, settlement or trial. You will discover that our processes for initial consultation (completely free) will enable us to rapidly assess the merits of your action and the next steps. We can advise you there and then of the most appropriate funding route and for the strongest claims we are able to offer no win no fee representation.
The Right Approach
There is no such thing as a simple clinical negligence claim. All of these claims require significant investigation and research. We are the sort of lawyers who prepare meticulously, we believe that every case deserves the highest possible level of attention which is why we don't make silly promises about how much or how fast a claim can settle, in our experience such promises are made by the weakest lawyers. Instead we carefully vet the evidence and build a case for you, we involve some of the highest qualified and most experienced clinicians currently working in whatever clinical speciality is appropriate. It is not unusual for several such experts to furnish reports over a single case. We draft your action with great attention, involving senior Barristers who frequently also benefit from being dual qualified in law and medicine. We then initiate an action only when we know that the prospects of such actions are very high. This approach has won time and again where others fail, we have a success rate which is envied across the industry.
The Right Attitude
Our clients are our reputation, referrals from friends and family are a regularly recurring feature of our practice and we are justifiably proud of this. We commit to a transparent case plan for each client and we discuss the progress of this plan with you as the claim proceeds. We involve all clients in the selection of suitable clinical experts and if you need to see a clinician we always try and ensure that a suitable expert is available as near as possible to minimise travel. Our clients also benefit from regular conferences with ourselves and experts over the often highly technical expert reports. We update you in writing regularly and frequently and we maintain an open communication path so that clients can always speak to somebody in the team and of course the team will always return communications within strongly defined service standards. We want our clients to belong to our team, you are after all, the primary witness in your action and no one can talk more confidently or authoritatively about your condition or your treatment than you. Everything we do therefore, is about putting you at the centre of these actions. We also maintain a quarterly magazine (Trials and Tissues) which is issued to all clients and enquirers and covers subjects including medical law, recent decisions, new research and articles which are of benefit to existing and recovering patients.
The Right Result
Only specialists in Clinical Negligence can confidently draft schedules of loss in these actions. The damages available for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity that you have suffered is simply the starting point for compensation. What is frequently many times greater is the losses that you face in earnings or future earnings that you will lose as a consequence of your position. Also private treatment, surgical costs, cosmetic issues, ongoing medical or pharmacological support, care, physiotherapy and specialist medical devices and living aids are only even known to those who have practised in this area extensively. Don't trust your action to anyone who doesn't have this specialist background. The difference is clear in settlement amounts and in the breadth of settlements that we achieve for our clients.
The Right Decision!
Contact us today and we can set your mind at ease surrounding, timescales, funding and risk assessment. If you don't like what you hear, you are not obliged to do anything and if you do we are waiting to help.