WILTSHIRE BASED MEDICAL COMPENSATION CLAIM SPECIALISTS
Are You A Victim of Medical Negligence?
Cases of medical negligence are more common in the UK than many people imagine. Also sometimes known as clinical negligence, medical negligence refers to substandard care from a medical professional. If this has happened to you, you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Are you looking for a solicitor to help with your medical negligence claim in Wiltshire?
Here at Salisbury and Amesbury based Bonallack & Bishop, our solicitors offer expert service and can help with your medical negligence compensation claim wherever you live in Wiltshire from our local offices.
Victim of a medical mistake? Call our specialist medical negligence solicitors now on Salisbury (01722) 422300 or Amesbury (01980) 622992 – for FREE phone advice and a FREE first appointment.
THE NEED FOR A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE SPECIALIST
Claiming compensation for medical negligence [sometimes also referred to as clinical negligence] involves a particularly complex area of law and procedure. What’s more, to help you win the compensation you are entitled to, your solicitor is going to need a good understanding of medical documents – ranging from reading x-rays to carefully going through handwritten GP and hospital records, along with examining medical reports. Only a specialist solicitor with years of experience running medical error cases, day in day out, is going to have the expertise you need.
Far too many solicitors like to dabble in medical negligence work, but it is not an area of practice for the inexperienced. Those who dabble may end up receiving a letter from our professional negligence team some years down the line. For a client to be let down by a second professional is nothing short of cruel.
HOW TO FIND A SPECIALIST MEDICAL SOLICITOR?
We take both medical negligence, training and accreditation very seriously. Therefore you won’t be surprised to find out that a member of our medical negligence team independently accredited as genuine injury specialist – as a member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel.
HOW DO SPECIALIST COMPENSATION CLAIMS SOLICITORS GET PANEL ACCREDITED?
The Law Society panel has very strict criteria which applicants must meet. Only solicitors with experience, skill and detailed knowledge of this specialist area will be successful in becoming panel members.
Check that the solicitor that you are thinking of using to help you with your case is panel member. The process for achieving panel membership is tough – the Law Society scheme has an accreditation unit in London who assess applications against set criteria, this job being carried out by an expert assessor – and those applying for membership have to prove that they really do have the experience and skills required.
And what’s more, they have to go through a tough re-accreditation process every few years to stay on those panels. These highly specialist and accredited claims solicitors have to keep bang up to date in both law and medical matters. Their expertise is reviewed every 5 years to ensure they are in regular practice rather than stepping back from the coal face and taking more of a supervisory role – and unlike some other panels, the process of re-accreditation is far from easy.
If you have already got a solicitor in mind, check they are a member of an accredited panel. If they are, proof of their membership should be on their firm’s website – if it is not, be sure to speak to them or email them to check. If they are not accredited, the best advice is that you should find someone else who is.
FREE MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE ADVICE
Making the decision to claim medical negligence compensation is not an easy one. In particular, you are going to need to have a good idea of what’s involved in making a claim and to get an early indication of the chances of winning your claim.
We understand that – that’s why our team offer
- FREE initial advice over the phone and
- FREE first appointment – with no obligation.
NO WIN NO FEE CLAIMS
There is no need for you to worry about having to pay an expensive legal bill if you choose us to run your medical negligence claim – our team are able to run your claim for compensation under a no win no fee arrangement.
HOME AND HOSPITAL VISITS AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT WILTSHIRE
If you’re unable to travel to meet us in our Salisbury or Amesbury offices, our team are to arrange to see you at home or in hospital throughout Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset.
Alternatively, you can instruct us by e-mail, phone or Zoom video – whichever you prefer.
MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE IN WILTSHIRE
If you or a loved one has suffered avoidable harm while receiving medical care in Wiltshire, you may be able to bring a medical negligence claim.
Wiltshire patients are mainly treated by three NHS trusts: Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust (Salisbury District Hospital), Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Great Western Hospital in Swindon), and Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (Royal United Hospital in Bath, which also runs the Chippenham Birth Centre).
In addition, Wiltshire Health and Care LLP provides community hospital services in towns such as Chippenham, Devizes, Warminster, Trowbridge, and Marlborough.
RECENT SAFETY AND INSPECTION REPORTS IN WILTSHIRE HOSPITALS
The NHS uses “Never Events” to describe the most serious incidents that should never happen if correct safety procedures are followed.
In the 2023/24 reporting year, Salisbury District Hospital reported four Never Events, Great Western Hospital in Swindon also reported four, and the Royal United Hospital in Bath reported three.
There were also individual Never Events reported at Sulis Hospital in Bath and at Savernake Hospital in Marlborough. In 2024/25 (provisional data), Great Western Hospital reported seven Never Events, and single Never Events were recorded at Chippenham Community Hospital and at Royal Wootton Bassett (Cotswold Surgical Partners).
These incidents remain rare, but they are taken seriously because they can cause significant harm.
MEDICAL STANDARDS ACROSS WILTSHIRE – A MIXED PICTURE
Inspection findings give a mixed picture across Wiltshire hospitals.
In February 2025, maternity services at Salisbury District Hospital were upgraded to “Good” after previous concerns about staffing and culture were found to be unsubstantiated.
At Great Western Hospital in Swindon, maternity services were downgraded to “Requires Improvement” in March 2024, with inspectors raising issues about safety and leadership.
At the Royal United Hospital in Bath, maternity services retained a “Good” rating in March 2024, with the Care Quality Commission noting some outstanding practice.
At Chippenham Birth Centre, an inspection in late 2023 rated the service “Good” for both safety and leadership following its reopening for births earlier that year.
Wiltshire Health and Care, which runs community services across the county, continues to hold a “Good” provider rating.
WILTSHIRE MEDICAL ERRORS – RECENT CASES AND CORONER’S FINDINGS
Several recent inquests and coroner’s reports illustrate the type of risks faced by Wiltshire patients.
At the Royal United Hospital in Bath, a Prevention of Future Deaths report was issued in 2022 after a patient was not reviewed by a doctor for several days despite her condition worsening. Another report in 2023 raised concerns about the hospital’s fall and trauma pathway following the death of a patient after a fall.
At Great Western Hospital in Swindon, a coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report in 2023 after a patient died from a blood clot when his immobility was not properly considered in the risk assessment. Another case highlighted concerns about swallowing difficulties and delirium in older patients following a fall.
At Salisbury District Hospital, a coroner raised concerns after the death of a patient in July 2021 following an unwitnessed fall on a ward. The report highlighted failures in record keeping, anticoagulant management, and staff availability.
These reports do not mean that every patient is at risk, but they show how important proper staffing, risk assessments, and communication are for patient safety.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR WILTSHIRE PATIENTS
Patients in Wiltshire may be treated in Salisbury, Swindon, or Bath depending on where they live, and more straightforward care may take place in community hospitals such as Chippenham or Devizes. While most patients receive safe treatment, these recent reports show that serious mistakes still happen.
The fact that the Care Quality Commission continues to inspect and rate services, and that coroners issue reports requiring hospitals to learn lessons, is intended to drive improvements across all local services.
BRINGING A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM
If you have experienced harm that you believe could have been avoided, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation. In most cases, the time limit is three years from the date of the negligence or from the date you first realised you had been harmed. Different rules apply for children and for people who lack mental capacity.
If you are considering a claim, it is important to act promptly, request copies of your medical records, and keep detailed notes about what happened.
Our team of medical negligence solicitors can review your case and advise you whether you have grounds for a claim.
Where appropriate, we can offer to act on a “no win, no fee” basis.
MUST I BE SEEN BY AN INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EXPERT AS PART OF MY MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM?
Yes, if we believe that you have a strong basis for your claim we will send you to be medically assessed by one of our independent experts in the relevant area of medicine.
Bonallack & Bishop has built strong relationships with a great number of independent medical consultants who will review the nature and extent of your injuries. This network of expertise makes us perfectly placed to bring your case against the NHS or a private medical establishment.
WILL YOU KEEP ME INFORMED OF DEVELOPMENTS IN MY MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM?
Absolutely, we make sure to update our clients regularly throughout the claims procedure.
HOW DO I PROVE MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE ?
In order to succeed in any UK medical negligence claim, you are going to need to be able to prove your claim – which means satisfying two basic conditions;
1. that you can prove that the medical professional in question made errors in your treatment that someone competent at their work would not have made
2. that you can prove that that professional’s errors contributed to, or caused, your personal injury.
In order to prove these two elements, your solicitor will need to obtain your medical notes and often copies of any relevant x-rays – to see if they support your claim. It’s normal for your solicitor will also seek to appoint an independent specialist medical expert – who can comment on whether your treatment was negligent and whether that negligent treatment contributed to your injuries.
Click here to read more about making a medical negligence claim
DON’T DELAY – CONTACT OUR TEAM TODAY
Remember – don’t delay contacting us– strict time limitations apply to all medical compensation claims. Any delay in making your claim could mean you lose out on your right to claim medical compensation entirely.
You must generally make your claim within three years of the injury occurring, or within three years of becoming aware that you had suffered an injury as a result of medical negligence. However, these are guidelines, not rules, as the time limitation for claims can be complicated.
So, we suggest that you contact us even if you suffered an injury more than three years ago to see whether you are still eligible.
LIVE IN WILTSHIRE? WANT TO MAKE A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM? CALL US NOW
Our team have the necessary expertise to recover the full and fair amount of compensation and will also be able to treat your medical negligence claim with sensitivity.
So, for local advice from a law firm with national expertise,
- call us on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 or locally on Salisbury (01722) 422300 or Amesbury (01980) 622992 OR
- Complete the email contact form below
Bonallack and Bishop, Bonallack and Bishop
Rougemont House, Queensbury House,
Rougemont Close, 5 Salisbury Street,
Salisbury, Amesbury,
Wiltshire Wiltshire
SP1 1LY SP4 7AW
Tel: Salisbury (01722) 422300 Tel: Amesbury (01980) 622992
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