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Medical Care Claims

Medical Care Claims2024-12-30T16:14:40+00:00

A Complete Guide To Medical Care Claims

When a patient witnesses any kind of medical issue due to a doctor or any medical professional’s incompetence, it can result in a medical care claim. To safeguard the victim’s interest,  the victim can claim against the medical practitioner based on the substandard care they felt they received.

In most cases, if the claim can be substantiated and proved,  the accused has to pay a certain amount of money as compensation to the victim.

We will help you understand the process of Medical Care Claims in more detail below.

Common claims for doctor failure

Common claims for doctor failure range from a failure to refer a patient for tests to a failure to treat a patient when ill. A doctor failure can cause a patient to suffer unnecessary pain and could result in a missed diagnosis.

The claim for doctor failure seeks compensation for the medical negligence and the impact on your life.

Types of claims for doctor failure:

The doctor failure to refer a patient for tests can miss the chance of an early diagnosis and could put the life of the patient in danger.

It may be medical negligence when a doctor does not refer you for a blood test if you show the signs of diabetes. 

The failure to refer a patient with chest pain and shortness of breath for cardiac testing may be medical negligence if the patient has a heart attack.

O’Reilly Doherty & Co. Solicitors can look at your case and see if you have a valid medical negligence claim* for doctor failure.

The doctor failure to treat a patient when showing symptoms can prolong an illness and keep the patient suffering from unnecessary pain and discomfort.

Types of claims for a doctor failure to treat a patient showing symptoms:

  • Failure to treat a patient with an infected wound

  • Failure to treat a patient showing signs of infection

  • Failure to treat a patient by prescribing the correct medication

You may have a medical negligence claim* if the doctor failed to treat you despite you showing symptoms.

The doctor failure to get informed consent can happen at any stage of the medical treatment. Every doctor treating you must inform you fully of the treatment and make sure you understand before getting consent from you.

Types of failure to get informed consent claims:

  • Failure to get informed consent before giving a vaccine
  • Failure to get informed consent before doing any surgery

  • Failure to get informed consent before a physical examination

The doctor may face a medical negligence compensation claim* for failing to obtain informed consent.

Doctor failure to diagnose a medical condition could lead to a delay in treatment and maybe cause a patient to suffer unnecessary pain and have prolonged periods off work and in hospital.

Types of doctor failure to diagnose a medical condition claims:

  • Doctor failure to diagnose a condition by not referring to notes
  • Doctor failure to diagnose due to not following up on tests

  • Doctor failure to diagnose a condition by misreading test results

You may have a doctor failure claim when the GP or hospital doctor fails to diagnose a medical condition.

When the doctor fails to refer a patient to a hospital consultant, they are not using the services available and may be putting a patient in danger of becoming very ill.

The hospital doctor should refer a patient to see a consultant if they are showing the symptoms of a disease when in the A&E department.

The GP should refer a patient to see a consultant when the symptoms of cancer or another condition need further examination.

A doctor should refer you to see a hospital consultant if you are in constant pain and the prescribed medication is not leading to an improvement in health.

O’Reilly Doherty & Co. Solicitors will use their experience in medical negligence to make a successful compensation claim* for a valid doctor failure claim.

Basic Criteria for Medical Care Claims

Existence of doctor-patient relationship in past

A person needs to produce evidence that supports that there was an existence of the doctor-patient relationship. However, you cannot claim negligence if there was no consensual proof of the treatment.

Proof of Negligence of Doctor

An individual needs to show that the doctor was negligent when it came to diagnosis or treatment. You cannot sue a doctor because you are not satisfied with his/her treatment. To start a claim, you need to produce proof that the doctor was negligent of his duties. It should be in a way that a professional doctor wouldn’t have done the same under similar circumstances.

Proof that the doctor’s negligence caused injury

Here, the patient needs to show proof that it is exactly due to the doctor’s incompetence and negligence that caused his/her injury. The usual practice is having a medical expert testify that the injury happened due to the doctor’s negligence.

Damages that happened due to the negligence

The damage or injury needs to be palpable. It can be any mental anguish, physical pain, additional bills, or negligence that led to the patient losing his work. However, if there is no visible harm, the patient cannot sue the doctor or the hospital.

Common Types

A wide range of situations can end up with this type of claim- from a doctor forgetting a fabric in the patient’s gut to improper consultation regarding the drugs prescribed. Usually, substandard care can fall under any one of these categories:

  • Failure to Diagnose the patient’s illness.
  • Improper treatment of the patient.
  • Failure to inform and warn the patient about all possible consequences.

Some Special Requirements in Medical Care Claims

There are special rules and procedures for medical care claims. You must be aware of all those rules and follow them accordingly when initiating a claim.

You should not wait to initiate your case if you have grounds to claim. The statute of limitation is usually two years. If the claim is not filed within this period, the court can dismiss the case.

The claim can also be reviewed by a panel of experts before declaring if substandard care has occurred. The victim needs to send a notice of claim to the doctor before starting the claim. The opinion of experts plays a major role in the case, hence their statement is a must.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to call us on 01 8344255. Alternatively you can simply request a callback and a member of our staff will contact you as soon as possible.

*In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.

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