Milton Keynes Clinical Negligence Solicitors
Experienced specialists helping you claim compensation
Our expertise
Our Milton Keynes clinical negligence solicitors have been helping people to claim compensation for over 20 years. You have the right to recompense if you have received negligent medical treatment by a doctor or health professional. We deal with every area of clinical negligence, including delays in cancer diagnosis, fatal claims and inquests, claims against solicitors, and accident and emergency claims.
Freeths’ caring, considerate lawyers can help with birth injury claims – we can assist with claims involving stillbirth, cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, perineal tears and gynaecological claims. Our clinical negligence lawyers also deal with acquired brain injury, general surgery, GP claims, orthopaedic claims, cardiac claims, diabetes, cauda equina, and sepsis. We are proud to achieve many successful claims each year.
If you’re based in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire or Northamptonshire, give our specialist clinical negligence team a call today.
Our process
Medical injuries, misdiagnoses or mistakes have huge effects – our clinical negligence team always take this into account. They have developed a vast amount of experience from working exclusively in this field. We will provide support and work tirelessly to bring you the maximum compensation you deserve.
Compensation could include providing additional medical treatment or care, or replacing lost earnings. You can trust our specialist team to help get you back on track, using their knowledge to give tailored advice.
Why choose our Milton Keynes Clinical Negligence Solicitors
- Our specialist team have advised on clinical negligence claims for over 20 years
- You can rely on our clinical negligence solicitors to be approachable and sympathetic
- Fund your claim through insurance or conditional fee (no win no fee) arrangements
- We will listen to your needs and explain complex processes in plain English
- Our lawyers are rated by legal guides and are members of AvMA and APIL
Key contact
Carolyn Lowe
Partner & Head of Clinical Negligence for the South
Milton Keynes Clinical Negligence Solicitors
Submit an enquiry below
FAQs
Freeth’s clinical negligence lawyers are friendly, sympathetic and approachable. Our team have vast knowledge and experience in dealing with the full breadth of clinical negligence claims against GPs, hospitals and private practitioners such as surgeons, therapists and dentists. Our lawyers have specialist expertise in key fields including child and adult brain injury, spinal injuries, birth injuries, cerebral palsy, catastrophic injuries and fatal cases. We can handle your claim in a sensitive manner, providing tailored legal advice to suit your individual needs and we have a proven track record in bringing successful claims.
We are highly recommended in both the Chambers and Legal 500 directories across our offices nationwide. Our solicitors are accredited by specialist panels including those of AvMA (Association against Medical Accidents), APIL (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) and the Law Society.
We work closely with local and national charities to raise awareness and to support those affected by medical conditions and disabilities. We understand and share the goals if these charities in helping improve early diagnosis and patient care whilst reducing incidents of medical negligence, so that others need not suffer as many of our clients have. We also work and campaign to improve the support, assistance and services for those with often life changing injuries and their families.
By bringing a successful medical negligence claim you can secure compensation for both the injuries you or you loved one suffered and the financial expenses and losses you have experienced as a result of the substandard treatment you have received. It may also be possible to obtain an apology and to highlight areas for improvement to prevent the same mistakes being made in future, but these are not remedies that can be ordered by the court if the claim goes to trial.
Our specialist clinical negligence solicitors consistently secure outstanding results for adults, children and their families who have suffered injury due to substandard medical treatment. Whilst no amount of money can ever undo the damage and devastation caused by a serious injury, compensation can make a massive difference to how you manage and seek to overcome the consequences of medical negligence and to improve quality of life.
Compensation is divided into two types of damages:
(i) General damages made up of compensation for pain, suffering and loss of amenity reflecting the seriousness and duration of the injury, any limitations/restrictions caused by the injury and how it affects you in daily life ; and
(ii) Special damages to cover the financial consequences of your injury including expenses incurred, the costs of any medical treatment, therapies, care, assistance or equipment you require, loss of earnings and any other financial losses flowing from the injury caused by the substandard treatment. The amount of compensation you will receive if the claim is successful depends on the nature and severity of your injuries and the extent of the financial losses that have and will be incurred as a result. The principle behind compensation is to try so far as possible to put you in the position you would have been in had you not received substandard treatment.
The length of a claim depends on a number of factors, including whether admissions are made by the defendant, whether liability or causation is admitted, and the complexity and severity of the injury. In cases where admissions are made and liability is admitted it is often possible to resolve the claim in a shorter time frame. However, it is necessary to have a clear and firm prognosis and to be able to understand the impact of your injury in order to value the claim. In some cases, particularly those involving children, it may be necessary to wait until they are old enough for the implications to be accurately assessed. In cases which are likely to take longer to value, we look wherever possible to secure interim payments of compensation for our clients to help meet shorter term needs.
No, your claim should not affect you treatment. Gps, hospitals and other medical professionals do not have the right to refuse treating you simply because you are bringing a claim against them. In practice, however you may feel more comfortable in seeking an alternative healthcare provider or even requesting different doctor or specialist rather than placing your trust in a person or hospital that has already let you down.
Yes, strict time limits apply when bringing a claim. Failure to issue court proceedings within these limits could result in your claim being time-barred and you may lose the right to claim compensation.
To bring a clinical negligence claim in England or Wales you must issue proceedings in the high court or the county court against the defendant(s) within 3 years of your “date of knowledge”. This is the date when a reasonable person in your situation would first have had knowledge that:
- That your injury was significant
- That your injury was either totally or partly caused by an act (or a failure to act) which you believe was negligent
- Of the identity of the person (or organisation) who you believe was negligent
In the case of a child, the time limit does not begin to run until they reach maturity. Proceedings must therefore be issued within three years of 18th birthday (i.e. before they turn 21 years old).
The three year period will not start to run if the person does not have mental capacity to bring a legal claim. Therefore in cases where the claimant lacks mental capacity at the time of the alleged negligence the time limit will not apply unless they regain capacity.
Carolyn Lowe and Lynne Foster – Clinical Negligence Solicitors based in Milton Keynes
Lynne Foster is a Managing Associate in the Milton Keynes team. She has a particular interest in fatal claims – often representing the interests of bereaved families at inquests. Lynne deals with many kinds of clinical negligence, with a special focus on neurology, orthopaedics, cardiology, and general surgery claims.
Carolyn Lowe is a Partner and head of the clinical negligence team in Milton Keynes. She has over 20 years’ experience of bringing clinical negligence claims and is recognised as a “Leading Individual” in her field by Chambers & Partners. Carolyn helps her clients to understand the complexities of medical terminology and procedure in what is often a stressful time. She is praised for her sensitivity and empathy.
Examples of Clinical Negligence cases in Milton Keynes
- Settled a claim for a sum of £170,000 on behalf of the estate of a man who suffered from tinnitus and hyperacusis which resulted in him committing suicide following a failure by his GP to refer him for psychiatric treatment.
- Represented a woman who suffered severe damage to her shoulder as a result of a failure to diagnose and properly treat a bone infection at Milton Keynes Hospital. A settlement of £200,000 was achieved.
- The claimant sustained damage to his thoracic spinal cord following a negligently administered thoracic epidural. The claim settled for £350,000.
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“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our legal team, especially Carolyn Lowe for bringing Luton & Dunstable Hospital accountable for the...
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