If you or a family member have suffered serious permanent damage because of delayed or missed diagnosis whilst under medical or nursing care, we can help you.
Missed or Delayed Diagnosis
When you visit a doctor because you have concerns about your health, you trust that they will either make a correct and timely diagnosis or make appropriate onward referrals for relevant tests and opinions. When they do not, it can result in a delay in receiving treatment which, at best, can affect your recovery and, at worst, can have tragic consequences.
Medical misdiagnosis covers all areas of healthcare and unfortunately is not uncommon. A fracture can be incorrectly diagnosed as a sprain, signs of ovarian cancer can be attributed to irritable bowel syndrome and even coronary heart disease can be confused with respiratory tract infection. Our clinical negligence team at Tozers have experience of numerous claims involving a simple yet catastrophic missed diagnosis.
Common failures include:
- failing to investigate symptoms adequately
- failing to take a full medical history or a proper note of the patient’s symptoms
- failing to examine the patient properly
- delaying or failing to carry out appropriate investigations, such as X-rays, scans or blood tests
- delaying or failing to respond to test results
- failing to recall a patient for treatment after test results
- misreporting scans, biopsies, X-rays or test results
- delaying or failing to refer the patient to an appropriate specialist for advice or treatment
- delay in diagnosis and treatment of medical emergencies; missed “red flag” symptoms
- failing to monitor patients properly after surgery
- delaying or failing to recognise and treat infection
- medication or prescribing errors
Find out how we can help you
We're ready to help you make your medical negligence compensation claim today. Contact our specialist solicitors for a free initial chat about your situation and find out how you can get started. Use our online enquiry form or call our specialist team on 01392 937 278.