Nursing Negligence
Nursing negligence
Nursing care is a fundamental part of any clinical team. If you've received a poorer standard of care than you expected, you may be able to claim compensation for nursing negligence. You may be an inpatient in hospital and experience poor care from a theatre nurse, ward nurse, or intensive care nurse. Alternatively you may have received inadequate care from your practice nurse at your GP or from a district nurse at your home.
In some cases, nursing negligence can lead to injury, worsening of an illness, or in some cases, contribute to death. L& M MediLaw is led by Elizabeth Rose, an accredited specialist in medical negligence. We can help you to determine whether you can make a claim for compensation following nursing failures on a no win, no fee basis.
To discuss your circumstances with a lawyer who can help, call us today on 0141 471 3078 or complete our online contact form and we will get back to you without delay.
Nursing care in Scotland
Nurses and advanced nurse practitioners are highly skilled and will be involved in a number of medical procedures and investigations. They are often your first point of contact when being triaged for medical care and will communicate with the doctors any concerns or updates on your progress. Patients will often get to know their nurses better than their doctors and a good working relationship between nursing staff and patients is essential for a positive patient experience.
Unfortunately, not all experiences can be positive and sometimes a nursing failure has led to an injury or in some cases contributed to a death. There may have been a failure to notify a doctor of worsening symptoms or a failure to carry out nursing observations and checks. Alternatively, there may have been a treatment you received from a nurse where something has gone wrong, such as inappropriate wound management, poor infection control or mis-administration of medication.
In the first instance, if possible, it is ordinarily worthwhile speaking to the nursing team and letting them know your concerns. This may provide an opportunity for an explanation to be given and an understanding to be reached on what happened. A formal written complaint to the appropriate Health Board or GP practice (if it is a practice nurse within a GP practice) is an option if you wish to seek an internal investigation of what went wrong and why. A NHS internal investigation will be automatically triggered if there is an unexpected or unintended incident that has resulted in a serious injury or death.
Making a nursing failure claim
If you wish legal advice on a nursing failure L&M MediLaw will listen to you and ask you what went wrong and why you feel there has been a failure. We will ask you the three Ws, ‘who’, ‘what and ‘why’.
- Who do you feel is responsible? Do you have the name of the nurse or the team/ward they work with?
- What happened? Can you describe the treatment, when it happened and the effects it has had on you?
- Why do you feel there has been a failure and do you feel the outcome could have been avoided had competent nursing care taken place?
L&M MediLaw will access the case and if the failure is serious enough to be considered potentially negligent, will open a case, obtain the necessary documents and complete initial investigations. If advised we will instruct a nursing report commenting on the actions or inactions of the nurse(s) involved. Normally in nursing cases, you will need an additional medical expert to comment on what the ‘negligent’ actions have caused. Typically a nursing failure case would involve two or more reports. If all these reports are supportive then a claim would be intimated to the nurse’s representative, and in most cases, the appropriate NHS Health Board.
Their response would be reviewed and advice given on the likelihood of settlement or if a Court Action would be necessary. L&M MediLaw are experienced Court solicitors and the case will be prepared for every eventuality.
L&M MediLaw will provide quality professional representation throughout your legal journey to ensure the best possible outcome and compensation achieved and maximised.
Contact our nursing negligence claims solicitors in Glasgow today
Everyone should receive the best medical care possible from nursing staff. When you have been failed by a nurse or other medical professional, L&M MediLaw can support you with compassionate, professional legal care. We have offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh city centre and serve clients all across Scotland.
To discuss your nursing medical negligence case with a lawyer you can trust, contact us today on 0141 471 3078 or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you right away.