Personal Injury Services

Medical Negligence Claims

General Medical Problems

Expertise And Understanding From Irwin Mitchell

If your health, or the health of someone close to you, has suffered as a result of a medical procedure or because of sub-standard healthcare or management, Irwin Mitchell can help you.

At Irwin Mitchell we fight fearlessly to achieve the best outcome for your medical negligence claim. We’re renowned for our understanding of the issues affecting you and your family due to medical negligence, 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 General Medical Problems With Expertise And Sensitivity

We understand that you’ll be going through an emotional time. You may be worried about your future, about your long-term care or about your financial security. You may be grieving the loss of a loved one. Whatever your circumstances, you’re here because you want to find out exactly what happened and why.

Our team of sensitive lawyers has a wealth of experience in cases like yours. We’ll find the answers you’re looking for – and we may be able recover compensation for you too.

We say ‘may’ because it can be difficult to prove that you or your loved one’s condition was caused by negligence and wasn’t just an unfortunate accident. But rest assured, if your life has been affected through medical malpractice or carelessness, we will do everything in our power to unearth the truth.

Proven Expertise In Cases Involving General Medical Issues

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 general medical problems.

In the health service, many different specialisms come under the ‘general medical’ umbrella. We want to make sure that you have the right lawyer to represent you, one with lots of experience in the specific area that applies to you. Some of the more common cases we encounter include:

Cardiology
Care of the Elderly
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Drug reactions
Gastroenterology
General practice (your GP)
Haematology
Infections – MRSA and C Difficile
Intensive care
Ophthalmology
Pressure sores
Respiratory damage
Strokes

Irwin Mitchell’s Commitment To Cases Involving General Medical Problems

Irwin Mitchell’s first commitment is to you, and to 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.

Case study 1
Angela attended her dentist to have a troublesome wisdom tooth taken out. However, instead of extracting the wisdom tooth, the dentist removed one of her healthy molars.

This wholly inappropriate dental treatment left Angela with an unsightly gap in her teeth and the prospect of undergoing remedial dental treatment.

With our help, Angela received £5,250 in compensation.

Case study 2
Jean had her gall bladder removed by keyhole surgery. After she was discharged from hospital, she continued to suffer from excruciating pain and severe vomiting. When she was finally readmitted, scans revealed that her bile duct was leaking fluid into her stomach.

Instead of clipping the cystic duct, the surgeon who performed Jean’s operation had clipped the common bile duct. This caused the leak, which resulted in numerous major complications for Jean.

We represented Jean in a claim against the local NHS Trust and she was awarded over £200,000 in compensation.

Case study 3
Laura had a history of behavioural difficulties and had been in care for much of her life. She was 15 when her foster carers found her collapsed at the bottom of the stairs screaming. They rushed her to hospital, where her temperature rose and she lost consciousness. Despite this, the doctors failed to perform a full neurological assessment. Instead, they put all Laura’s symptoms down to her behavioural problems. She was diagnosed with a urine infection and discharged.

Shortly after, Laura was moved to another foster placement, during which her condition deteriorated. She had to be airlifted to a different hospital, where she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and had emergency surgery.

Sadly, Laura is now blind. Had the tumour been detected earlier, she would not have lost her vision. With our help, Laura pursued a medical negligence claim against the NHS Trust and received £715,000 in damages.

Select Related Client Stories

£25,000 Compensation for Severe Pressure Sore

Our client, a 46 year old man, received £25,000 in respect of a severe pressure sore affecting the sacral area which was sustained in April 2003.

He weighed in excess of 30 stone and suffered from a number of medical problems, including ankylosing spondylitis and arthritis, and therefore did not work. He was found by a neighbour after entering into a diabetic coma and was admitted to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 9 April 2003.

Whilst being nursed on the ITU his pressure relieving mattress deflated and there was a delay in replacing the same. Following this a pressure sore developed on our client's right buttock. He remained in hospital until October 2003, and continued to receive regular input from the District Nurses until January 2006.

Breach of duty was admitted in relation to the failure to replace the faulty mattress, and lack of proper risk assessment. Causation was admitted in that the Defendant accepted its failures had caused a Grade 4 pressure sore although it was not admitted that our client would only have developed a superficial pressure sore had he been treated appropriately.

Our client suffered a Grade 4 sacral pressure sore which has largely healed but a small area of ulceration persists and is prone to flare up; therefore further minor surgery may be required.

Our client was seriously ill due to his pre-existing illness and complications thereof, and would have required a lengthy hospital stay in any event. However, due to the severity of the pressure sore his stay in hospital was extended. He required regular dressing changes from the District Nurses over many months, and is at risk of further complications should he suffer a period of ill health.

Prior to the accident he did not work and had no plans to return to work because of his disabilities. He did not receive any gratuitous care and any care he may need in the future would have been required in any event.

Out of court settlement: £25,000 compensation.

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.