Personal Injury Services

Medical Negligence Claims

Fatal Claims And Inquests

Expertise And Understanding From Irwin Mitchell

If someone close to you has died in hospital or in a care home, and there is reason to suspect that the appropriate steps to prevent their death weren’t taken, you may wish to investigate a fatal clinical negligence claim.

The law may be able to help you find out what happened, and why - and perhaps even allow you to recover compensation to help you to overcome the loss of a loved one.

At Irwin Mitchell we are renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family due to the loss of a loved one, and we know what positive action to take to make a difference.

Our lawyers offer the highest level of professionalism and expertise, combined with dedication and sensitivity.

Above all, we put you first.

Handling Inquests With Expertise And Sensitivity

If someone has died in unusual or unclear circumstances, it is possible that the death might be reported to the coroner, who may decide to hold an inquest. This is where the coroner carries out an investigation and holds a hearing to establish the facts surrounding the death.

At Irwin Mitchell we understand you may be worried about what a fatal claim involves, but we can guide you through the process and assist at the coroner’s inquest.

Irwin Mitchell has a long history of representing bereaved families who find themselves in this situation. If you’d like us to help you, it’s crucial that you let us know before the inquest takes place - so that we have time to assemble medical records and other documents from the coroner before the court hearing.

If evidence comes out during the inquest that your loved one may have died as a result of sub-standard medical treatment or through neglect, you may wish us to file a fatal clinical negligence claim for damages on your behalf. If you do, we will do everything in our power to secure compensation for you and your family with a fatal compensation claim.

Proven Expertise In Fatal Claims & Inquests

Irwin Mitchell is one of the largest and most experienced law firms in the country and our team includes many of the country’s finest specialist lawyers. They work in highly focused teams, offering the best legal expertise when recovering compensation in cases involving fatal claim inquests.

Irwin Mitchell’s Commitment To Fatal Claims

Irwin Mitchell’s first commitment is to you, in finding out what happened and why and assisting you to recover appropriate compensation.

We also have a long history of campaigning with leading organisations in numerous medical and clinical negligence fields. Together with those organisations we seek improvements in health and safety, prevent accident and injury where possible, and improve the quality of life and levels of compensation for those who have suffered injury.

We have also pursued many leading legal cases in order to improve the prospects of success of compensation recovery for various forms of medical and clinical negligence, and to ensure that fairer compensation is awarded.

Select Related Client Stories

Compensation for Poor Hospital Care

Our client was 75 when she was admitted to a Sheffield hospital with a probable urinary tract infection. Before this, she was able to live alone in her own home, although had received some respite care in a care home.

The hospital failed to adequately monitor and treat the infection and she died 18 days later. The post mortem report showed that our client died of sepsis, caused by the infection.

Our client experienced poor hospital care and medical management. The hospital trust carried out an investigation into the care given to her, which found serious shortcomings in her treatment. In particular, the standard investigations that should have been carried out in a patient with an infection (e.g. blood tests, urine tests) were often ignored. The hospital investigation has shown, for example, that the results of our client’s blood tests were abnormal and so she should have had daily blood tests to monitor this. In fact, there was a gap of 9 days when no tests were taken. There was also poor hospital care with monitoring of fluid balance levels.

The investigation found that all patients should have a thorough assessment of their care needs carried out within 48 hours of admission. No such assessment was ever carried out of our client.

Our client became so ill that she was unable to hold a cup and could not feed herself. Nevertheless, her tray of food was simply left at the end of her bed. She therefore often ate nothing and became gradually weaker. The hospital have said that if our client had received optimum medical and nursing care, her body would have been better prepared to resist the infection.

It was only on the day before she died that our client was given intravenous fluids. She was never given antibiotics, and the hospital has accepted that this was an error.

It is clear that the hospital staff were too quick to put our client’s deterioration and her inability to eat and drink down to dementia, without excluding other possible causes such as infection. The hospital investigation concluded that staff needed to be educated about dealing with patients with dementia.

Our specialist Elderly Abuse team acted in a claim against the hospital which focused on the poor care and standard of treatment given to our client. The hospital admitted all the allegations of negligence that we put forward and we were able to negotiate a successful settlement of the claim without needing to start Court proceedings.

We have lawyers with the expertise and experience needed to help you with your claim. Choose from the list below to learn more about our experts in this area.

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Guidance With Strength And Sensitivity

We understand that contacting a lawyer might seem like a big step - especially if you have not done so before and we have therefore made it easy for you to contact us for free initial advice.about your claim.

At Irwin Mitchell we understand the real impact of personal injury. Our team of specialists have the skills and experience to give you clear advice about the chances of pursuing a successful claim and to guide you through the claims process.You can then decide if you want us to pursue your claim on your behalf.

We are renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family, and we know what positive action to take to make a difference.

At Irwin Mitchell we will fight fearlessly to give you the greatest chance of winning your case, with the best possible outcome, and we will support you every step of the way.

Find out whether you have a claim today. Simply complete our online claim form or call us with details of your accident on 0800 056 4110.