Accident & Emergency claims

Accident and Emergency (A&E) solicitors: Expert medical negligence advice

A&E departments at hospital are busy and hospital staff can make mistakes when making medical decisions or during treatment. Medical errors can happen because of staffing levels and long waiting times. If you or someone close to you has suffered because of poor care at A&E, you might have a claim for compensation.

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We work on a no win, no fee basis, so there’s no need to worry about costs. Plus, our specialist solicitors provide an initial free assessment of your claim.

Examples of A&E medical negligence claims

A&E claims normally involve one or more of the following:

not taking a proper history from you
not examining you properly or writing a list of your symptoms
not ordering the correct tests or investigations (e.g. X-rays, scans and blood tests) or monitoring your condition
mistakes interpreting test results and scans
incorrectly diagnosing your condition, making a diagnosis too quickly without sufficient care or not diagnosing it quickly enough
giving you the wrong treatment (or no treatment), or wrong medication
delayed treatment
failure to refer you to a different hospital department to be treated, which would be more appropriate
not admitting you, sending you home and not letting you know you should come back to A&E if things don’t improve; this is known as ‘safety net advice’
missing signs and symptoms of serious conditions such as sepsis, strokes, heart attacks, bleeding in the brain (brain haemorrhages), Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

How a compensation claim can help

A compensation claim can provide security and stability for the future. For example, compensation funds could relieve a stressful situation if you are unable to work because of your injury. The funds could also be used to finance your care requirements, if needed.

Accident & Emergency claims FAQ's

What is A&E negligence and what standard of care can I expect?

Doctors and nurses within A&E departments are working in extremely pressurised environments and are required to treat patients at speed and in a safe manner. The law states that junior doctors are judged to the same standard as their more experienced colleagues, even though many junior staff will be on a steep learning curve.

A&E doctors and nurses are often not expected to decide upon a definite diagnosis since an ailment could be representative of a vast number of conditions. However, they are expected to place the patient on the correct pathway which will eventually lead to the correct diagnosis. A&E doctors a.nd nurses are also expected to triage patients correctly so that the most urgent cases are addressed first

What are the most common types of misdiagnosis in A&E?

Some of the most common injuries from negligent diagnosis and treatment within A&E departments are:

· Fractures

· Meningitis

· Aortic aneurysm

· Cauda Equina Syndrome - i.e. damage caused to the bundle of nerves below the end of the spinal cord.