We are experienced in dealing with misdiagnosis claims on a no win, no fee basis. For a free case review call our legal helpline on 0333 888 0412 or send us an email.
Misdiagnosis claims are unfortunately very common. Clinicians are trained to follow lines of enquiry and find a diagnosis that best fits the symptoms presented to them. All medical students are reminded towards the end of their studies that patients do still get measles, nettle rash, and sore throat … as well as scarlet fever, mercury poisoning and thyroid cancer. In other words, doctors should beware of jumping to the worst or most dramatic conclusions to fit available evidence.
A diagnosis which is wrong, but which follows on from careful and proper enquiry, and which was a mistake that a reasonable clinician could have made, is unlikely to be regarded as legally ‘negligent’.
On the other hand, to miss something blatantly obvious, particularly after prolonged dismissal of the patient’s concerns, or where the clinician has not taken on board clear warning signs, could well be negligent and give rise to the right to recover compensation by making a misdiagnosis claim.
Concerns about failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis often arise with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. It can be extremely distressing for a patient to be told belatedly of such an illness; especially where there is the prospect that had it been discovered earlier, treatment could have been started much sooner and the chances for recovery might have been much better.
In misdiagnosis claims, a careful and objective legal review of the clinical history by a specialist medical accident lawyer is the first step to recovering compensation.
Among the legal issues that will need to be investigated is the extent to which the error in diagnosis has resulted in the patient’s medical condition being made worse than it would otherwise have been. This often requires input from a medical expert and we have links to some of the nation’s most experienced doctors and surgeons who can provide a report in support of a misdiagnosis claim.
If your case is strong enough then we are able to work on a no win, no fee basis. So, if you would like further information about misdiagnosis claims then you have nothing to lose by giving us a call.
You can read about one of our successful misdiagnosis claims here.