How can compensation help?
Compensation can help pay for:
Specialist private medical treatment Rehabilitation Loss of earnings Expenses (e.g., travel costs).
We’ll always act efficiently to secure funds so your care needs can be met as soon as possible. Your settlement can help pay for private medical treatment.
We can only calculate how much compensation you’re entitled to once we understand the full impact of the negligence. This might only become clear when we know how successful any later treatments have been.
You’re likely to get more compensation if your cancer wasn’t diagnosed until a late stage. In these circumstances, compensation can pay for your increased care needs. If your diagnosis came at a point where the cancer had become terminal, your settlement can help with your family’s financial security.
Can I claim on behalf of a loved one or someone who’s passed away?
If a loved one has died because of a cancer misdiagnosis, our lawyers can help you to claim on their behalf. You can claim compensation on behalf of a loved one to account for:
Their pain and suffering Any financial losses caused by their death Funeral expenses.
We can also represent you at an inquest and work to get you the answers and apology you deserve from those responsible.
You might be able to claim if you’re the spouse or child of the person who’s unfortunately died. We can also help you make a claim if you’re the parent of a child under 18 who passed away, or if you were financially dependent on the person.
There’s normally a three-year time limit after the date of death to make a claim. If your loved one had a post-mortem which discovered negligence, then you’ll have three years from the date you were told. Find out more about time limits .
Our lawyers could also help you access a statutory bereavement award. A flat rate of £15,120 is payable when a wrongful death has occurred. This is available if you’re the spouse, civil partner, or parent (if under 18) of the person who died.
What’ll happen when I make a cancer misdiagnosis claim?
After you’ve contacted us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss your claim. We’ll let you know whether we can take on your claim.
We’ll contact those responsible for your negligent treatment at an early stage. This is to see if they accept the blame. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments. These can fund ongoing expenses before your claim’s settled. Any interim payments are taken out of your final compensation award.
Our experts will investigate your claim and gather evidence from independent medical professionals. These experts evaluate what care you should’ve received. They’ll also help us determine future issues and future care needs.
We’ll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the claim process as short as we can. If they don’t accept responsibility, we’ll start court proceedings.
Even when trial dates have been set, claims are often settled before reaching court. If your claim does need to go to court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way.
How long will my claim take to settle?
Every cancer claim is different and the time they take to settle will differ case-by-case. The more complex the claim, the longer it’ll take to settle. This makes it hard for us to give you a timeframe for your claim.
If the other party admit they acted negligently, this’ll speed up the claim process. If they don’t, we’ll have to prove they were negligent, which means your claim will take longer to settle.
Because claims can take some time to settle, we’ll try to get you interim payments. These can help cover initial costs and recoup any financial losses you’ve had because of the medical negligence. We can only get interim payments if the other side have admitted fault.
Can I make a no win no fee cancer misdiagnosis claim?
Yes, many of our cancer misdiagnosis claims use no win no fee agreements. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.
At the start of your case, we’ll discuss funding options with you, advising you which we think is most suitable. If you have legal expenses insurance (LEI) or are covered by a trade union policy, these may be best for you. Household insurance policies can include legal expenses insurance. It’s worth checking whether you’re already covered.
If we think you’re best supported by a no win no fee agreement, we’ll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that’ll protect you, at no cost to you. You’ll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful – your opponent will pay most of our fees.
Visit our no win no fee page for more information on how it works.
*To make a no win no fee claim, you need to enter into an agreement that's linked to a suitable insurance policy. We'll explain this in more detail before we start your claim.
Episode 91: IVF after a cervical cancer diagnosis – Lindsey’s story
Our client Lindsey Dawson always wanted to have children. But failure to correctly interpret her smear test result, leading to her developing cervical cancer, meant she had to make difficult decisions about her fertility before she had time to fully process the reality of her situation.
Listen to the podcast.
Why choose us?
We’re experts in the field of medical negligence, taking on claims other firms can’t settle. We’ve the largest and most experienced medical negligence team in the country.
A former client told independent legal guide, Chambers and Partners , that: "The team is excellent: the process is explained in a way I can understand and all my questions are answered timely and professionally."
Not only do we have expert lawyers, but we’ve got specialist support staff who’ll be with you even after your claim is settled. Our Support and Rehabilitation team are experts in finding you the right support, whether it’s benefits or care, to help you make the best recovery. They’ll make sure the support is local to you.
You might have other issues caused by medical negligence. We could also advise you on:
Wills Benefits Employment issues Rehabilitation Investing your compensation.
Find out how we can support you after a cancer diagnosis .
