What Is A Misdiagnosis Claim?

It’s inevitable that misdiagnoses sometimes occur, yet according to the annual NHS Resolution Report, medical misdiagnosis is the most common medical negligence compensation claim in the United Kingdom. Shockingly, 40% of recorded claims related to failed, wrongful or delayed diagnosis. By potentially leading to lengthy delays in patients receiving correct treatment, the effects of misdiagnosis can be devastating, and we’re here to help. As one of the top legal firms serving Wales & England, at Harding Evans Solicitors we provide the professional legal services that you need. Our solicitors specialise in both individual and business cases, including debt recovery, employment law, personal injury and more.

Read on to learn about the intricacies of misdiagnosis claims, and whether you could be eligible.

The Basics

Medical misdiagnosis claims are a type of medical negligence claim that you can make if the duty of care has been breached by your private or public healthcare provider. One example of this would be if your GP failed in spotting symptoms of a particular illness. A doctor may fail to diagnose you correctly if they fail to read your results correctly, or if they don’t understand your symptoms as they should. Another instance of this may be that they neglect to send you to the right professional at the right time. We depend on our healthcare provider to reliably diagnose what is wrong with us and determine how best to treat that particular issue. Instances of misdiagnosis can leave the patient unable to trust medical staff, and needing to consult a law firm.

Professional Assistance From A Law Firm

Harding Evans Solicitors understand how traumatic this can be, and if a medical professional has overlooked or misdiagnosed your illness then you may be due compensation with the help of a lawyer.

One in three people in the UK will suffer from cancer at some point in their lives, and misdiagnoses are common as you may expect. Although great care is taken to identify and treat cancer as soon as possible, sometimes this can go undetected. Some types of cancer that frequently go undetected or misdiagnosed include:

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Liver cancer
• Bone cancer
• Cervical cancer

Should I Make A Misdiagnosis Claim?

Making a medical diagnosis claim, you need to be able to prove that you were harmed in some way and that your healthcare provider was at fault in some way. Generally, you can make a misdiagnosis compensation claim if:

• You saw your doctor with symptoms, but you were not initially diagnosed with anything, only to be diagnosed later on.
• You had unnecessary treatment or surgery.
• You were given delayed treatment on an issue which was not originally diagnosed as serious.

If you or a loved one has suffered unnecessarily due to medical misdiagnosis, our lawyers may be able to help. Contact us today and we can help establish whether you’re entitled to misdiagnosis compensation. Medical lawyers at our law firm are highly experienced and understand the sensitivity surrounding this issue.