Doctor negligence is when a doctor fails to provide a patient with the standard of care that is expected and accepted within the medical profession. This can occur when a doctor makes an incorrect diagnosis, fails to diagnose a condition, or provides a treatment that is below the accepted standard of care. In addition, it can include, a failure to follow up on test results, or failure to provide adequate follow up care.

Healthcare in this country is usually of a very high standard and most people are effectively treated by their GPs or hospital doctors and many other healthcare professionals with no problems whatsoever. However, sometimes things do go wrong and there can be cases of doctor negligence in the UK.

When things do go wrong with medical treatment, the consequences can sometimes be very serious and life-changing, both for the person on the receiving end of the negligence and also their loved ones. Depending on the circumstances, it may be possible to make a compensation claim for doctor negligence.

If you're let down by a doctor delivering a poor standard of care or making avoidable mistakes and are injured as a result or your existing condition is made worse, this could be considered medical negligence by a doctor.

Although rare, sometimes there can be a death due to doctor negligence, which is absolutely devastating for the loved ones of the person who passed away and can make the loss even more difficult to deal with.

Examples of doctor negligence can include:

• Failure to diagnose (and therefore treat) a condition, or diagnosing the wrong condition and the patient gets worse as a result

• Making an avoidable mistake during an operation or medical procedure

• Prescribing the incorrect medication

• Failure to explain the risks of a type of treatment and therefore not getting informed consent from the patient.

The most important thing after negligent medical treatment is to ensure that you're now getting the appropriate care and assistance with your recovery. You can then choose to make a formal complaint about your doctor and look into a potential compensation claim.

If you have experienced negligence at the hands of a doctor, whether you were treated by the NHS or privately, you might be eligible to make a claim for compensation for what has happened to you.

Whilst no sum of money can make up for the situation you find yourself in, compensation awarded in successful doctor negligence cases can help you and your family to rebuild your lives and move forward positively. Take expert legal advice to find out if you have a valid claim.

Whether or not clinical negligence claims against doctors can be brought will very much depend on the individual circumstances in every case. There must be proof that not only was there negligence on the part of your doctor, but that you were also injured, have suffered significantly or were made more ill as a result of this.

With Forbes, our clinical negligence team have a wide range of experience in doctor negligence claims of all types, so understand exactly what it takes to make a successful claim and help you access the compensation that you deserve for what has happened to you. The government changed the rules a few years ago, restricting the success fee to 25%.

We work on a no win no fee basis and offer a free initial consultation. The success fee we charge ranges from 0 - 25% depending upon the risks and complexity of the case and whether the disbursements to be incurred (e.g. medical report fees, court fees and barristers fees) are funded by ourselves or the client. We do not charge a success fee in cases involving claimants under the age of 18 or those who lack capacity to manage their own financial affairs. We are happy to discuss this during our free initial consultation.