For many years Francis Hanna & Co have represented victims who have sustained serious injury as a result of a medical accident or medical negligence.  Clinical negligence is a highly specialist area of law and it is essential that you instruct a firm of solicitors that has specific experience in this difficult field.  Medical practitioners and hospital trusts will be represented by expert lawyers and so to accident victims must have equally specialist advice.
There are a number of different elements to establish that medical treatment was negligent.  The patient has to prove that the clinical practitioner has been legally at fault. This means showing that the standard of care fell below what could "reasonably have been expected".  Invariably medical opinion regularly differs over treatment for a particular procedure or condition and it is a valid defence if it can be shown that the treatment was in accordance with the views of a "responsible body of medical opinion".  This is one of the many difficult areas with these types of cases.
Even if you can prove that the standard of care was negligent, you still have to establish that the negligence actually caused the injury.  A medical practitioner may claim that the injury arose from the illness itself and not from the treatment or even that the injury would have come about in any event.  It is therefore essential that experienced medical experts must be engaged to deal with these complicated issues.
At Francis Hanna & Co we have acted for victims of all kinds medical accidents and instruct a wide range of medical experts from throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to assist us in determining whether or not there has in fact been negligence in any given case.  One of our partners and two solicitors are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers which enables us to keep abreast of the very latest developments in this area and who the most suitable experts are to engage.
Like all aspects of personal injury victims of a medical accident or medical negligence must claim within three years from the date of the treatment which they allege was negligent.  We advise that victims instruct a solicitor at the earliest possible opportunity to seek advice on the possible entitlement to compensation. Alternatively click here to use our online form.