Accident & Emergency (A & E) Claims

Last updated on January 18th, 2024 at 02:03 pm

As we all know, accident and emergency (A & E) departments become very busy at times and medical staff can be asked to work under unreasonable pressure. Unfortunately this can lead to patient care suffering and mistakes being made as a result.

What are the most common claims against A & E departments?

A & E departments deal with a wide range of injuries and serious medical conditions and the range of negligence cases reflects this. The most common medical negligence cases involving A & E include:

• Missed fractures
• Failure to diagnose serious conditions such as heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• Foreign bodies left in wounds
• Missed severed tendons or nerves
• Missed subdural haematoma (a brain condition often caused by head injury)
• Misdiagnosis

If you feel that you may have grounds for a claim against an accident and emergency department contact us to discuss the circumstances in more detail and we will be happy to advise you on the strength of your claim.

What can I claim?

The value of your claim will depend on a number of factors including:

• The nature of the injury or illness
• Whether you recover fully from the injury or illness or if it has a long term effect on your health and wellbeing
• The amount of any losses you incur as a result of the injury

You can claim compensation for the following things if they are a result of receiving negligent care in an A & E:

• Pain, suffering and loss of amenity
• Loss of earnings
• Medical and nursing care costs
• Special equipment needed to carry out daily activities and any costs involved in adapting your home
• Other expenses incurred as a result of your negligent care, for example, travel expenses incurred whilst receiving medical treatment

Contact us to speak to one of our specialist lawyers in total confidence and they will discuss the details of your claim.

Related articles:

• Medical Negligence
• Claiming against a GP
• Hospital infections