What's The Deadline for a Medical Negligence Compensation Claim?
If you suspect that either you or a loved one may have been the victim of negligent medical care, you may be wondering whether it is possible to make a claim for compensation and how to go about it.
Being aware of the legal deadlines is an important factor.
In theory, compensation claims for medical or clinical negligence are associated with a deadline of three years. In practice, this means that if you have suffered an act of negligence in, say, April 2022, your claim for compensation will need to be issued with a court by April 2025.
What does this mean?
This does not mean that April 2025 is the date by which you first contact a lawyer to discuss your case.
If you think that you may have a claim, your solicitor will need to carry out a thorough investigation of the quality of your medical care and establish whether or not that is the case, before they can issue a claim for compensation.
Investigating your medical care can be a time-consuming process. In the first place, your solicitor will need to obtain all the relevant medical records which can shine a light on the course and quality of your medical care.
Depending on the nature of your condition, the type of care or procedure you received and the way or ways in which you believe that you were the victim of negligence, your solicitor will then need to engage the services of medical experts to analyse your medical records and assess whether or not they believe your medical professionals to have been negligent in some way. Furthermore, they will need to consider whether or not any negligence, if indeed there has been any, has affected your long-term outcome.
In some circumstances, more than one expert may be involved in the analysis of a claimant's care. As busy people, their reports on the quality of the patient's healthcare can take a long time.
Occasionally, and in certain circumstances, it is possible for the deadline to be extended. However, the key message is: if you think that you or a loved one have been the victim of negligent medical care, contact a specialist solicitor at the earliest possible moment. They will guide you through the complicated process of making a claim, supporting you at every step.
Speak to a legal specialist
Glynns Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with a team of experienced solicitors and a long-standing history of success with high-value claims.
Contact us today to speak with a solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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