If you’ve suffered as a result of medical malpractice we’re here for you. As the leading clinical and medical negligence law firm in the UK, we know how to make a positive difference to your life. Our experienced medical negligence solicitors will take the time to understand what you’re going through, helping you get the answers and compensation you deserve.
What Is Medical Negligence?
Medical negligence is when medical professionals make mistakes or fail in their duty of care to you, leading to injury or making an existing condition worse. There are a number of ways that medical negligence can happen, such as misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or surgical mistakes.
To find out more about medical negligence and read more answers to frequently asked questions, read our guide page here.
Our guides can also help you understand what to expect from the legal process. They’ll also signpost you to our charity partners and support networks who can help with the treatment, rehabilitation and support you may need.
To download our support guide, click here.
How Do You Make A Medical Negligence Claim?
The first step to making a medical negligence claim is to contact us as soon as possible. We offer a free initial consultation where we’ll be able to tell you if we think you have a case and how much compensation you might be able to claim.
Contacting us early allows us to start work on your case while the details are still fresh in your mind. If the NHS or private healthcare provider in question admits responsibility early then we may be able to get you interim compensation payments to help with your rehabilitation. Interim payments are made ahead of your final compensation settlement and can help with some of the immediate daily living and medical costs you may be facing.
What Are The Time Limits For Making A Medical Negligence Claim?
You usually need to start a medical negligence claim within three years of finding out you've received negligent treatment (you may not realise straight away but only after your injury or illness becomes worse).
However, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule:
- Children – medical negligence claims involving a child can be made any time before your child turns 18. On your child’s 18th birthday the three year rule comes into effect, so a claim needs to be started before they turn 21.
- Mental Capacity – if a person lacks the capacity to make a claim themselves, there's no time limit for making a claim.
How Long Do Medical Negligence Claims Take?
How long it takes for a medical negligence case to settle will depend on a number of things – most important will be the severity of your injury and whether the NHS or private healthcare provider responsible accepts fault. While we aim to settle medical negligence claims within a few months, more complicated cases can take a few years to settle.
Can You Make A No Win No Fee Medical Negligence Claim?
We make most medical negligence claims on a no win no fee basis. This means you won't pay anything upfront and will only pay if your claim is successful*.
If you win your case, your opponent will pay most of your legal fees with the rest coming out of your compensation award. We’ll keep you fully updated throughout your claim, so you know how much compensation you're likely to receive.
Why Choose Us?
We have decades of experience handling medical negligence cases and specialise in areas including birth injuries, orthopaedic injuries and cancer misdiagnosis claims. We’ll gather expert advice on your care needs, ensuring that your compensation helps you to access the support you need to enjoy the best quality of life possible.
Our medical negligence solicitors understand what you’re going through and can help you access specialist rehabilitation and support services to assist with your recovery. We know that, beyond compensation, you’ll want to know why things went wrong and we’ll help you get the apology and answers you deserve.
Legal 500, the largest independent legal survey in the UK, published this review of our medical negligence team: "The team at Irwin Mitchell are friendly, professional and supportive. Being able to contact them 24/7 provided reassurance for myself. I was assigned one solicitor for my case who I had throughout the whole 5 years, this allowed the process to run smoothly and for myself to feel guided by someone who knew all the details of my case. Every interaction I had with the team was pleasant and informative, they provided me with all the necessary information throughout the case without overwhelming me.
"Irwin Mitchell made me feel like my case was not about money or fees for them, but rather justice for the client." - Legal 500, 2023
Chambers & Partners, another leading independent source of the UK legal market's intelligence, also praises our medical negligence team: "Irwin Mitchell went above and beyond what was asked of them. The team navigated us through a complicated process, but also offered compassion and empathy during what was a very challenging time." - Chambers & Partners, 2023.
Our Office Locations
We have offices based all over the country, so wherever you're based, we can help you. If you're unable to make it in to see us, we can visit you at home or in hospital.
Our medical negligence experts are based in the following offices:
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Newcastle
- Sheffield
- Southampton
Contact Us
For a free initial consultation about your clinical negligence claim, call us on 0800 121 6567 or contact us online and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Call our experts FREE on:
0800 121 6567Or we can call you back at a time of your choice