GP’s are generally the first point of contact that patients have with the health system. When a patient presents themselves to their GP they rely upon the GP to decide whether it is necessary to refer them for specialist treatment. It is their role to spot symptoms of disease and then make the correct decisions as to whether and how a patient should be further assessed and treated. As with all clinical negligence a delay or indeed a failure to diagnose and/or refer a patient can have catastrophic consequences for the patient.
What constitutes GP medical negligence?
- Failure to diagnose possible strokes
- Failure to refer a patient to the relevant specialist when appropriate
- Failure to examine the results of investigations correctly
- Prescribing the incorrect medication or the incorrect dosage
- Failure to inform patients of the relevant issues following a test
To bring a claim for GP medical negligence you must show that the standard of care received fell below that of a competent GP and that the negligence complained of caused the injury.
Tiernan & Company Solicitors have successfully pursued a wide variety of cases involving trauma and injuries following medical negligence by a General Practitioner. Our medical negligence team is headed by Mark Tiernan solicitor, who has over 30 years’ experience in these matters.
If you require further information on making a claim caused due to GP medical negligence please contact Mark Tiernan on 01 6622 822 or email mark@tiernansolicitors.ie in confidence.
If you wish to bring a claim for GP negligence then it will be necessary to collate all relevant medical records and send them to an independent expert who will provide an opinion where appropriate that the medical care received was below a reasonable standard resulting in injury or loss. In the event that there is a case then we would pursue a case for medical negligence and seek compensation for:
- General Damages for Pain and Suffering
- Special Damages
Special damages comprise of expenses including but not limited to all costs of care and future treatment and any loss of earnings that you may or will suffer as a result of the cancer. The cost of any care needs into the future will also be ascertained and these will also be claimed in addition.
The Statute of Limitations for bringing a case for medical negligence is 2 years from the date of the alleged negligence. However under the legislation this Statute may be extended to two years from when you knew or ought to have known that there was negligence. “Knew or ought to have known there was negligence” is an interesting concept when it comes to medical negligence as often we would argue that it is really not until we get an expert report that we definitively know that there is negligence. However it could also be argued that the time begins to run from when the client has a suspicion that there is negligence and contacts a solicitor.
Why instruct Tiernan & Company Solicitors in bringing a GP negligence claim?
- We have successfully pursued many claims for GP negligence. Many of these cases have settled through mediation and some we have brought successfully to Court.
- We have over 30 years’ experience in medical negligence claims and over the years have formed relationships with the best legal experts throughout Northern Ireland and the UK. This is important as they are always on hand to advise in relation to the issues of negligence allowing the cases to proceed smoothly and in an expedient fashion.
- Your case will always be dealt with by Mark Tiernan Solicitor who is a solicitor specialising in medical negligence for over 30 years.
Recent cases of note:
- Successful settlement of case involving a delay in cervical cancer diagnosis
- Substantial damages in failure to diagnose cauda equine syndrome
- Substantial damages for Plaintiff who suffered delayed diagnosis of cancerous tumour
- Substantial damages for Plaintiff who suffered leg amputation due to negligent care
If you wish to contact Tiernan & Company Solicitors please contact Mark Tiernan on (01) 6622822
General Practitioner Negligence
We attend on our General Practitioners regularly throughout are lives and they assesses a wide variety of problems and we rely on their knowledge, skills and experience to decide what the necessary treatment is and if any referrals should be made.
Unfortunately, delay or failure to diagnose and/or refer a patient can have devastating long term and even life- changing consequences for a person.
Below are the different types of G.P. Negligence claims:-
- Failing to investigate symptoms
- Failing to diagnose and/or failing to diagnose in a timely manner, a physical or mental health condition
- Failing to send you to the Accident & Emergency Room
- Failing to request a diagnostic test e.g. a blood test or x-ray
- Failing to correctly review and/or interpret your test results and/or failing to act on those test results
- Failing to inform you of any issues discovered during a test
- Failing to refer you to a specialist when appropriate
- Failing to take adequate steps to prevent you contracting an infection
- Prescribing the wrong medication and/or the wrong dosage and/or prescription errors.
- Failing to review medication / defective drug administration
- Carrying out a minor procedure without due care
- Poor record keeping in relation to patient information
Your GP should also explain to you the associated risks and/or side-effects of failing to take immediate action as it relates to medical treatment and procedures. Furthermore, failing to explain the risk involved in having a medical treatment or procedure that then leads to further injury or damage may also, depending on the circumstances, constitute medical negligence.
A claim for G.P. negligence must show that your G.P. did not have the skill or was not able to demonstrate skill in diagnosing your symptoms at the time and in the circumstances that the examination took place. Also, it will have to be established that had you been referred to a specialist that the specialist would have been able to identify your symptoms and that therefore treatment would have then been afforded to you. Finally, it must be shown that due to this failure to diagnose and/or refer, you suffered an avoidable deterioration of a physical condition and that this deterioration is quantifiable.
At Tiernan Solicitors we pride ourselves on our straight forward and down to earth approach and we understand the vulnerable position that people may find themselves when their health is suffering. To avoid any further emotional distress and to alleviate any financial worries, we will immediately take the following steps at the beginning of all G.P. negligence cases to see if we can establish whether or not there is a valid case.
- Firstly, we will take up your medical notes and records.
- We will then obtain the appropriate Medical Expert.
- Upon review of your medical notes and records by our Medical Expert we will be in a position to advise if the standard of care you received fell below that of a competent GP and whether this negligence caused you a quantifiable injury.
From there we can move forward with your case while you focus on your physical and mental recovery.
