Medical Negligence
The results of negligence can often have long-term impacts on life, but few cases are more tragic than those caused by negligent medical practitioners. Healthcare professionals work extremely hard, but while some illnesses and other problems are beyond even their best efforts, if they are actually negligent, you are entitled to claim compensation for any injury or disability you suffer. All healthcare professionals carry insurance in case of situations like this.
Milicevic Solicitors have one of the legal profession’s most respected track records in Compensation Law. No medical negligence claim is too small to consider or investigate. If you have been injured or disabled because of the medical negligence, seek further help and contact the Milicevic legal team to find out how to claim compensation.
What kinds of medical negligence can I claim compensation for?
All healthcare professionals, from doctors and nurses to chiropractors and home carers, are required by law to do their absolute best for their patients at all times. It is their duty of care and most fulfil it to excellent standards. However, negligence may lead a healthcare professional to make a mistake, perform the wrong procedure or even fail to act, causing you unnecessary injury, pain and suffering or making an existing problem worse. This could affect your life severely. If it does, you are eligible to claim compensation from the healthcare professional’s insurer.
You can make a medical negligence claim for:
- Errors in diagnosis: an illness or other health problem is ignored, overlooked or misjudged
- Failure to warn of the potentially harmful effects of an illness or treatment
- Non-treatment of an illness or other health problem
- Incorrect use of medication
- Mistakes during surgery, including incorrect doses of anaesthetic
- Mistakes during childbirth
- Defective equipment, including surgical tools and technology
Injury and disability resulting from medical negligence can have a devastating impact on a patient’s life. The costs of ongoing care and the consequences for a patient’s family could be overwhelming. If there is a suspicion of medical negligence, then you should act to claim the compensation that you need and deserve.
What does medical negligence compensation cover?
In medical negligence cases, compensation payouts can cover a number of different health impacts.
- Medical costs, from initial treatment to continuing care, for as long as the effects of negligence are felt
- Loss of wages, short- and long-term, including future earnings
- Equipment needed for medical care, mobility, quality of life and home modifications
- Pain, suffering, injury and disability
- Costs of mounting a compensation claim
Medical negligence compensation payouts can often be large, as they may have to cover long-term care. Payouts may be staggered over long periods, to cover ongoing expenses, or they may be paid as a lump sum (for example, this is usually the case with ‘injury and disability’ payouts).
Before making a medical negligence compensation claim, you should seek another expert medical opinion. As well as potentially helping to improve your care and condition, another opinion may lend weight to your negligence compensation claim. Keep the originals of all your medical records, plus any evidence – photos, videos, witness statements – of the original medical negligence itself. Medical negligence compensation claims require a large amount of evidence, as it is up to you to prove that you have suffered specifically because of a healthcare practitioner’s negligence and not for another reason.
The legal team at Milicevic Solicitors understands how important a compensation payout could be for you, if you have been injured or disabled through medical negligence. As dedicated compensation lawyers, Milicevic Solicitors stand ready to assist and advise you. Find out how Milicevic Solicitors can help you by calling (02) 9264 6499 today.