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A delay in making a correct diagnosis and starting appropriate treatment can sometimes be the difference between a patient making a full recovery or suffering permanent harm, or even impact their chance of survival.
A late diagnosis can be medical negligence in some circumstances. If a medical professional was negligent in your care by diagnosing your condition late and you have suffered as a result, you might be able to make a delayed diagnosis claim for compensation.
If you would like to speak to a member of our medical negligence team about a late diagnosis claim, please call Stephensons on 01616 966 229 for free initial guidance on your options.
A delayed diagnosis can sometimes be caused by GPs, doctors or even surgeons failing to recognise and respond to their patients’ presenting symptoms. The failure to provide necessary medication or to refer the patient to a specialist, can result in untreated conditions becoming more serious. A common example is a late cancer diagnosis, despite a patient presenting with related symptoms. For example, a late stage cancer diagnosis, when it should have been diagnosed much earlier, can mean that the patient has a much poorer prognosis at that point.
Delays in diagnosis can unfortunately be quite common in hospitals. Most patients initially receive medical attention at A&E, but it is common for overstretched doctors to discharge patients before an appropriate diagnosis has been made.
A delay of a few hours might be the difference in saving a limb from amputation, a testicle from torsion, retaining sight, requiring a stoma or, in some circumstances, the difference between life and death. Even delays of minutes can have tragic consequences. For example, in child birth short delays in diagnosis can lead to children not surviving or being born with lifelong disabilities. Our specialists have secured millions of pounds in compensation after delays in detecting and responding to problems in the womb.
Even if a decision is made to admit a patient, there can be delays in ensuring that they are seen by appropriate specialists in a timely manner, particularly if the patient is presenting a variety of conflicting symptoms. Furthermore, there may be delays in starting appropriate medication or performing vital surgery. Such circumstances can be traumatic for the patient involved, as well as their family, meaning a compensation claim may be necessary in order to cover any unexpected costs.
A successful claim of medical negligence for late diagnosis could mean that you receive a sum of compensation that can help you and your loved ones. No amount of money can make up for what has happened to you, but many of our clients tell us that their delayed diagnosis settlements do help them and their family to move forwards and can mean that finances are one less thing to worry about at this challenging time.
Any delay to a medical diagnosis can cause problems, both physically and emotionally, but some of the more common types of claims that we deal with as experienced delayed diagnosis solicitors include, but are not limited to:
Stephensons’ clinical negligence experts have a wide variety of experience in delayed diagnosis claims and helping to receive sufficient compensation for clients. If you or a loved one has been affected by a late diagnosis, please call us on 01616 966 229 for free initial guidance on your options. Alternatively, you can complete our online enquiry form and a member of the team will contact you directly.
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