Being in hospital is a scary time for anyone. Whether young or old, it is a testing environment. There are unanswered questions, worries and fears. After a short period, hopefully the ordeal will be over and you’ll be nursed back to full health. Unfortunately, for some, the problems don’t end there. Victims of medical negligence or malpractice can be severely affected for years.
Medical negligence or malpractice is any situation where you have not received adequate care. It could leave you with permanent damage or prolonged illness. Often, it can take a long time to trace the problems back to miscare. Rarely is medical malpractice a malicious or purposeful thing. However, it can happen at any level; during a general check up to a major surgery. If you have fallen victim to it, you are entitled to compensation and action. Here’s what to do if you think you or your family have been subject to it.
What happened?
First of all, ask yourself what has happened. Get into as much detail and specifics as you can before you approach someone. Think back to your time and go over everything. What exactly is the nature of your mistreatment? Was there a misdiagnoses that lead to incorrect treatment? Where you simply neglected for long periods of time? Write down everything you can remember about your period of time in hospital.
What have been the after-effects?
Before you can take any claim further, you’ll need to look at how your life has been affected. If it has caused a further illness, what exactly are those problems? More importantly, how has this affected your life? Have you had to seek extra treatment to remedy this problem? How much did that cost you or did it leave a dent in your medical insurance? Has it given you a long term illness or problem that has resulted in an altered lifestyle? Have you lost earnings as a result of the mistreatment? All of these questions will affect the settlement that will be made.
What can you do?
If you think you have been the victim of clinical medical negligence, speak to a professional. The world of malpractice is one of the most complex and difficult areas of law. There are so many factors involved. First of all, a professional will help you gather data and access records. They’ll help issue a complaint and deal with the correspondence. This will outline your problem to the health care body involved. In many cases, an agreement or settlement can be made here.
What if legal action is necessary?
If an agreement cannot be reached, then legal action is the final option. This will require a large amount of data and evidence. Your lawyer will help you gather this. This includes, but not limited to, witness reports, receipts, prescriptions and health records. It is a lengthy and complex process. However, it may be the only way to recoup the compensation you are owed.
If you’re at all worried about this, speak to a professional. Most offer free advice and can help you put the initial case together.
