When a medical error occurs it can have devastating consequences for the patient, including the potential for long-term damage to their health and wellbeing, or even death in the most serious cases. Where those errors were caused by medical negligence, compensation may be available to help the patient deal with the impact on their life.
Medical negligence (also sometimes called ‘clinical negligence’) is where clinical professionals have breached their duty of care to a patient resulting in damage to their health. Proving this can be challenging, so it is important to have the best possible legal advice and representation in place as soon as possible.
If you or a loved one have been harmed by medical negligence you can claim for the damage to your or their health and wellbeing, ability to work and finances. Medical negligence compensation can be critical to helping you get your life back on track, giving you access to the very best treatment and care, while removing any financial strain.
Ashtons Legal is home to one of the country’s leading teams of medical negligence solicitors. We have been helping victims of medical negligence to secure maximum compensation for decades, achieving independent recognition for our expertise along the way.
As well as helping people to claim medical negligence compensation, we can assist with managing compensation and helping our clients to access the finest possible care. This allows us to ensure the best long-term outcome for everyone we work with.
To ensure everyone can access our legal expertise we offer no win, no fee funding options. This means there is usually no upfront cost to start a claim and no financial risk to you.
If you want to find out if you are owed medical negligence compensation book a free initial consultation with our team.
Why choose Ashtons Legal for your medical negligence compensation claim in Ipswich?
Ashtons Legal has been awarded Tier 1 ranking in clinical negligence and personal injuries by the Legal 500 for East Anglia and the top Band 1 ranking for both areas from Chambers & Partners. This provides independent recognition of our status as one the UK’s top law firms for clinical negligence and personal injury claims.
We have particular expertise in complex and high value claims and a strong track record of securing compensation without the need for contentious and stressful court proceedings.
Our Head of Clinical Negligence Sharon Allison has been individually recognised by the Legal 500 as a leading individual in the field of Clinical Negligence law. Partner Ben Ward is a Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer.
Our team is accredited by the Law Society for both Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury law, providing further independent verification of our leading expertise.
Book a free, no obligation discussion about starting a medical negligence claim in Ipswich
We want to make it as easy as possible for people to find out if they might be owed medical negligence compensation and how the claims process works. To that end, we offer a free initial consultation with our medical negligence solicitors in Ipswich to all potential clients.
This will be an opportunity to meet our team and explain the circumstances around your injury, as well as to ask any questions you have. We will answer those questions in plain English, making sure to cover key points, such as whether you are likely to be owed compensation and how much you might be able to claim.
Please be assured, this session will be for your benefit only – there will be no pressure from us to pursue a claim unless you are absolutely sure that that is what you want to do.
To arrange a free initial consultation in complete confidence with our medical negligence claims lawyers in Suffolk please contact our Ipswich office now.
Our medical negligence claims expertise
Our Ipswich medical negligence lawyers can assist with all types of medical negligence claims, including:
- Brain Injury Claims
- Fatal Medical Negligence Claims
- Spinal Injury Negligence Claims
- Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims
- Birth Injury Claims
- Cerebral Palsy Claims
- Cardiac Negligence Claims
- Amputation Negligence Claims
- Infection & Sepsis Claims
- Surgery Negligence Claims
How we can help you claim medical negligence compensation
Finding out whether you are owed medical negligence compensation
To secure medical negligence compensation, it must be proved that you were owed a duty of care by a clinical professional, that they breached that duty of care and that this resulted in a worse outcome for your health.
Our medical negligence solicitors in Ipswich know exactly what is needed for a successful claim. We will collect and review all relevant evidence on your behalf, including medical records, independent expert opinion and witness testimony.
We will then make sure your case is constructed in the strongest possible way so you have the best chance of getting the compensation you need.
Working out the level of damages you are entitled to claim
We want to ensure our clients get the maximum possible compensation, so are careful to consider every possible way medical negligence has impacted their lives.
We will look at factors including:
The financial impact of medical negligence – e.g. paying for medical treatment, care and specialist equipment, as well as lost income (both to date and in the future).
The non-financial impact of medical negligence – e.g. pain and suffering, as well as not being able to carry out activities you previously could, which is known as ‘loss of amenity’.
Out-of-court settlements for medical negligence claims
Almost all medical negligence claims we handle are settled out of court. This is to the benefit of our clients as it can allow them to get maximum compensation without the time, legal costs, stress and uncertainty associated with contentious court proceedings.
Taking your medical negligence compensation claim to court
Should court proceedings prove necessary to secure fair compensation for medical negligence, our team have the expertise to achieve the best available outcome for our clients.
We will ensure your case is prepared effectively and that you have expert representation so that you can be confident your claim is being handled the right way from start to finish.
Securing interim payments for medical negligence
Where you need immediate financial support (e.g. to pay for rehabilitation care), then it is often possible to secure interim payments to fund these costs while your claim is still ongoing. This can help to make sure your care is not compromised by lack of money due to waiting for a claim to be resolved.
Managing your medical negligence compensation
Following a successful medical negligence claim it is important to make sure your compensation is managed effectively so you receive the maximum benefit.
Our Client Funds Management Team can advise on setting up a Personal Injury Trust to hold your compensation so you do not lose out on any means-tested benefits. We can also assist with managing compensation for those unable to handle their own financial affairs.
Accessing rehabilitation and care support
Getting the right care and support following an injury is often more challenging that it ought to be. It therefore helps to have people in your corner who are used to these situations and know exactly what to do to get all of the best support in place.
Our Client Rehabilitation Managers can assist with accessing the various services you or your loved one require so you can get the best possible care throughout.
Funding for medical negligence claims
No win, no fee medical negligence claims
We fund almost all of the cases we handle through Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs). You may have heard this referred to as ‘no win, no fee’ medical negligence funding.
A no win, no fee medical negligence claim allows you to start the claims process without having to pay anything upfront. It also removes any financial risk from the claims process as our fees will only be applied if we win compensation for you. Should your claim not succeed, you will not owe us anything.
Read more about no win, no fee funding deals.
Legal aid for medical negligence claims
Most types of medical negligence claims do not qualify for legal aid funding but is still offered for some types of birth injury claims. Our medical negligence solicitors can advise you on your eligibility and the process to securing legal aid funding where applicable.
Funding a medical negligence claim with legal expenses insurance
Legal expenses insurance can cover some or all of the cost of making a medical negligence claim so if you have this type of policy, it may be worth considering.
Book your free initial consultation with our medical negligence solicitors in Ipswich
To arrange a free initial consultation in complete confidence with our medical negligence lawyers in Suffolk please contact our Ipswich office now.