SALISBURY & ANDOVER BASED MEDICAL COMPENSATION CLAIM SPECIALISTS

Genuine expert medical negligence solicitors are hard to come by, but our specialists have the expertise you need to successfully win the compensation that innocent victims of medical errors deserve.

If you live in Winchester, we can help. Running  medical negligence claims from our local offices in Salisbury and Andover, our expert team understand the difficulties that medical negligence can cause to victims and we can minimise the stress involved in the claims process, allowing you to concentrate on recuperating.

CALL SALISBURY (01722) 422300 OR ANDOVER (01264) 364433 – FOR FREE PHONE ADVICE AND A FREE 1ST INTERVIEW FROM OUR SPECIALIST MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE SOLICITORS

WHAT IS MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE?

Medical negligence takes place when the doctor or medical professional in question is in breach of their duty of care towards you as their patient. This means that they must have failed to treat you to the reasonable standard of care that you would expect from someone of their position and experience.

What’s more, even if they have breached that duty of care and therefore are negligent, you can’t claim compensation unless you’ve suffered some sort of direct physical injury as a result.

However be warned –making a claim for medical negligence can the slow, so it is crucial that get specialist legal advice it as soon as you think you might have been the victim of a medical error

ROYAL HAMPSHIRE COUNTY HOSPITAL – A CATALOGUE OF RECENT PROBLEMS

If you’ve been the victim of medical negligence, the effects can be truly devastating. In the case of an Andover woman born at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, the repercussions of medical negligence were lifelong.

Becky Crothall was born at the Winchester hospital in 1988, one of twins, and birthing complications arising from the hospital staff failing to recognise the need for an emergency Caesarean meant that she developed cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Tragically, her twin died. Nowadays Becky cannot be left unsupervised and is classed as a vulnerable adult. After taking the NHS Trust to court, she was awarded a huge financial payout.

More recently, in January 2015, the emergency department at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester was the centre of the scandal when despite struggling to cope with patient admissions for a four-day period, the hospital management simply refused to formally declare it as a “major incident” in the face of repeated requests to do so from a number of their senior doctors. Why? Allegedly because it “would look bad in the media” and the Trust would be fined. This is despite the fact that at its worst, the hospital had approximately 25 patients dumped in the ambulance corridor, with the condition of some patients being serious enough to require being given oxygen.

Interestingly, in one recent survey of hospitals in England and Wales, the Royal Hampshire County Hospital scored what was referred to as a “smart rating” of 94%  and was described as “ one of the best hospitals in the nation based on current indicators and hospital studies”. However strangely, the same survey found that just 67% of the staff actually employed their recommend the hospital! What’s going on there?

UPDATE – ROYAL HAMPSHIRE COUNTY HOSPITAL – THE LATEST CQC REPORT

The latest report by the care quality commission on Winchester’s own hospital, run by the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is reasonably positive.

In general those living in or around the Winchester area will be pleased to know that the hospital was described In the report published by the CQC in November 2015as “good. Let’s hope they keep up the apparent progress.

However safety issues were described as requiring improvement and in particular the inspection rating found that outpatients also “requires improvement”. That’s a concern given how many local people use outpatients – with 211,418 people  attending outpatient services in 2014. The report was critical in particular of what it described as, “one serious incident requiring investigation “where a patient ‘s health needs simply weren’t followed up at all.

The trust was also reported to have a disappointingly high number of clinics cancelled at short notice.

THE NEED TO INSTRUCT A SPECIALIST MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE SOLICITOR

Medical negligence is a very difficult area of law and few solicitors are genuine specialists. Those without sufficient experience and expertise of medical negligence claims are unlikely to win the full compensation you deserve. It’s essential to really understand both law and medicine as the success of your case will depend on a thorough understanding of medical issues and procedure, and the ability to understand the detail of many different kinds of medical evidence, including your GP or hospital notes, specialist reports and x-rays.

Furthermore, our firm – along with just 120 or so others [out of almost 11,000 law firms] nationwide – has been awarded the Law Society’s Specialist Quality Mark for Clinical Negligence.

And in addition, our medical claims team consists only of experienced and qualified solicitors – your case is not run by a call centre junior but by an individual local solicitor. And what’s more, one of those solicitors is also a qualified and experienced nurse.

WHY CHOOSE US FOR YOUR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM?

o We are not a claims company or a faceless call centre operation. We are Bonallack and Bishop, a local law firm with offices near to Winchester [in Salisbury, Amesbury and Andover] who specialise in medical negligence cases

o We offer both initial phone advice and a first consultation FREE of charge

o We can visit you at home or in hospital anywhere in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset, if you are too unwell to travel

o You needn’t worry about funding your claim either, because we offer ‘no win, no fee’ agreements for medical negligence claims

o We understand that some medical negligence claims involve very personal information – so you have a choice of a male or female solicitor to run your case

NEED ADVICE ON A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM IN WINCHESTER? CONTACT US NOW

If you have been the victim of medical negligence, our medical negligence team can help you. For the compensation you deserve, simply get in touch with us today.

For FREE initial advice from expert Medical Negligence Solicitors you can trust

• Call our team now FREE on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544, or call one of our local offices directly on Salisbury [01722] 422300 or Andover [01264] 364433
  OR
• Email us using the contact form below

MEDICAL COMPENSATION CLAIM SPECIALISTS

There are no solicitors currently working in Sherborne who have the medical negligence expertise you need to maximise your chances of winning the compensation you are entitled to. However, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset law firm Bonallack & Bishop has a specialist medical negligence team. They are based just the few miles away in Salisbury and the specialist can help you.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SPECIALIST SOLICITOR

To win your medical negligence claim, your solicitor will need to trawl through many, often hundreds, of pages of hospital or GP notes, will need to examine your x-rays and carefully consider one or more reports from independent medical experts – and in doing so will need to pick out the relevant evidence to support your claim.

This needs considerable experience and specialist medical knowledge – something that most solicitors, simply don’t have enough of.

Medical negligence cases are usually the most complex of compensation claims, run by solicitors. Would you rather your solicitor was a specialist with a detailed understanding of both legal and medical concepts, or a generalist with only a passing interest in medical negligence claims?

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU

• We offer FREE phone advice and a FREE first appointment for all medical negligence claims
• We ran medical negligence claims under no win no fee arrangements – so you keep every penny of your compensation if you win and pay nothing if you lose
• Home and hospital visits are available throughout Dorset

SHERBORNE MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM – CONTACT US

Don’t forget that your medical negligence compensation claim is subject to strict time limits. To avoid missing out on the compensation you deserve, contact Bonallack & Bishop’s team of medical negligence specialists today.

If you would like to get in touch with one of our specialists, simply call 01722 422300,

Or alternatively, email the team using the enquiry form below:

Specialist Clinical Error Claims Solicitors

Do you live in Frome and have you been a victim of medical negligence? If so, you should instruct a medical negligence solicitor immediately. However, given that you won’t find the specialist solicitor you need in Frome, who can you turn to? Bonallack and Bishop have the expertise you need – and we offer home and hospital visits to clients in Frome, as well as throughout Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset.

We’re not a claims management company – we are a long-established firm of solicitors in Wiltshire and Hampshire – and with offices in Salisbury and Amesbury, we are not far away and we are more than happy to arrange home and hospital visits.

So, regardless of whether a mistake was made at Frome Community Hospital, by a local GP or district nurse or by 1 of the other nearby hospitals and clinics, our team can help you claim the compensation you deserve.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE SPECIALIST?

Medical negligence claims are generally much more complex than the average accident claim and require a high degree of specialist knowledge. It is really important that the solicitor you choose is a genuine specialist.

Many solicitors handle medical claims but few have sufficient understanding about the medical practice to properly review GP and hospital records, x-rays and independent medical experts, along with the rest of the medical evidence in your case – so that there is a real risk that without a genuine specialist solicitor, they won’t recover the compensation you deserve.

Here at Bonallack and Bishop, our medical negligence team have all the experience you need. Our team only deal with personal injury and medical negligence work. They are genuine specialists and include a member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel. And as at May 1, 2022, no law firm in Frome has a member of that panel.

WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE BONALLACK & BISHOP?

Apart from our medical negligence expertise, if you instruct us of your compensation claim, you will benefit from:

• FREE initial phone advice
• A first face to face appointment FREE – or using Zoom video if you prefer
  
• Solicitors who are happy to visit you at home in Frome itself or anywhere in Somerset or Wiltshire, or in hospital
• A no win no fee agreement so you don’t have to worry about legal bills and can focus on your recovery

FROME MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM? CONTACT US TODAY

There is a limited time frame to make your compensation claim, so get in touch with our specialist medical negligence team without delay.

• You can either call us on (01722) 422300 for free initial claims advice, or
• Email us using the enquiry form below:

Specialists in Medical Compensation Claims

Do you live in Aldershot? Are you looking to make medical negligence claim? If so, you will need a specialist medical negligence solicitor on your side but you will struggle to find one locally area. At the time of writing this blog, Aldershot lacks a specialist medical solicitor who is a member of either the two national specialist panels [see below] – which is usually the best way of identifying a medical negligence specialist.

Medical negligence can, unfortunately, happen in any situation where you’re being treated or looked after by a medical professional. We put our lives in the hands of people trained to look after us properly, so when something goes wrong because of someone being negligent, it can be very distressing.

If you’ve been treated at a hospital or other care facility in and around Aldershot and have suffered from negligence, you could be due compensation. Whether you were treated at Frimley Park Hospital, the Royal Surrey County Hospital, a private practice or even in your own home, if you suffered damage due to medical negligence, you should speak to a specialist solicitor as soon as possible.

Don’t worry though, Wiltshire and Hampshire solicitors, Bonallack and Bishop are close by and have the expertise you need to make a successful claim for compensation against a medical professional.

Call or Email Us Now for Your FREE Specialist Medical Negligence Advice – free phone advice and a free first appointment. Call FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 or locally on (01722) 422300

WHY DO I NEED A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE SPECIALIST?

Medical (or clinical) negligence is an exceptionally complex area of law and to make a successful claim you will need to instruct an expert solicitor. However, while quite a few solicitors do run the occasional medical negligence claims, only a few of them can claim to be specialists. As well as in-depth legal knowledge of all types of medical negligence claim, a specialist must also have a good medical understanding in order to interpret medical notes, x-rays and other medical records which are often vital evidence in proving a negligence claim.

6 REASONS TO CHOOSE OUR SOLICITORS

1. We are genuine medical negligence specialists

2. We offer a FREE initial telephone consultation

3. Your first appointment is also FREE

4. We can pursue your claim under a NO WIN NO FEE agreement. So even if you lose, you don’t pay a penny.

5. We can visit you at home or in hospital if you have difficulty travelling – in Aldershot, and throughout Hampshire

6. We can run your case with regular face-to-face meetings – or if you prefer, we are equally happy running your claim using mainly email, phone and video call

TIME LIMITS APPLY – SO CALL TODAY FOR EXPERT MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM ADVICE

Strict time limits apply to all claims so contact our team today to avoid missing out on the compensation you deserve.

LIVE IN ALDERSHOT? THINKING OF MAKING A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM? CONTACT US NOW.

To find out whether you could be entitled to medical negligence compensation, simply;

• Call our team now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544, or
• Send us an email via the contact form below

HAMPSHIRE BASED MEDICAL COMPENSATION CLAIM SPECIALISTS

The National Health Service is one of the UK’s best loved institutions and it isn’t hard to see why. It does its best to make sure that everyone who needs care gets it, regardless of their ability to pay – and the vast majority of the time that care is of an impressively high standard.

However, it has been estimated that around 5% of people are dissatisfied with the service and level of care they have received relating to the diagnosis and treatment of a condition. Some of these people go on to make medical negligence claims; around 7000 such claims are made every year.

BASINGSTOKE HOSPITAL – RECENT MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CASES

When you’re relying on medical professionals to treat you properly, it can be devastating and infuriating when negligence causes you further health problems. In the case of a woman left with serious brain damage after Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital failed to diagnose a brain tumour, the NHS Trust accepted 90% liability and is due a multi-million pound compensation payout.

After a 5-month-old baby died after a 7-hour wait at Frimley Park Hospital in nearby Farnborough in August 2012, he was left for seven hours before being discharged without seeing a senior specialist. His condition deteriorated and he was rushed back into hospital, where he died at 6am the next morning from meningococcal septicaemia.

Do you live in Basingstoke? Have you been injured as a result of negligent practice from a doctor or other medical professional?

We can help – our Hampshire and Wiltshire and Hampshire medical negligence team are here to help you win the compensation you deserve.

HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST – THEIR POOR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE RECORD IN RECENT YEARS

Worryingly, the health trust which runs which runs Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, as well as Andover War Memorial Hospital and the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester,  has had a series of serious medical errors resulting in considerable compensation being paid out.

Of the 260 health trusts listed in a recent BBC report, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was ranked 68th in terms of those trusts which had to pay out the highest total of medical compensation. In fact between 2012 and 2017, the trust paid out more than £39 million in damages and legal costs.

In addition to these figures, the South Central Ambulance Service , which also serves the Basingstoke area, apparently paid out £6.2 million in medical compensation between 2012 and 2017 as well.

BASINGSTOKE HOSPITAL – THE LATEST CQC REPORT

Compared with some of the other hospitals in the south that they looked at, the latest inspection ratings published by the government health regulator in November 2015, the Care Quality Commission, doesn’t look too bad.

In fact the best news for those people in the Basingstoke area who rely on hospital for their medical treatment, is that the overall description in the report was “good”.

However there were some areas for concern. In particular the report concluded that safety issues “required improvement”. Staffing levels in some of the surgical and medical wards didn’t reach safe levels – and in particular, there were more than expected incidence what are referred to as “avoidable harms – e.g. falls and pressure ulcers.

MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE – WHY YOU NEED A SPECIALIST SOLICITOR

Medical negligence claims only involve a particularly complex area of law, but they also need a high level of expertise in understanding the medical issues in your case – which is essential to gather the evidence you need to win your claim, and which will often, for example, require careful analysis of hundreds of pages of medical notes and an ability to understand medical x-rays.

You can rest assured that the medical negligence team here at Bonallack & Bishop have the specialist expertise you need.

YOUR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM – WHY INSTRUCT US?

o We are a local law firm – Bonallack and Bishop – with offices in Andover and Salisbury. We represent clients throughout Wiltshire and Hampshire.

o We are not a claims management company, or a remote call centre law firm – so you will meet and be represented by a specialist solicitor you will come to loan trust

o Medical negligence claim often involves highly personal information – we offer you a choice of male or female solicitor to represent you

o We offer a FREE initial phone consultation and FREE first face-to-face meeting

o Home and hospital visits are available in Basingstoke [and throughout Hampshire and Wiltshire] for those whose injuries prevent them from travelling

o There is no need to worry about paying legal costs of your medical negligence claim – we are on the panel of most of the major legal insurers, and offer “no win no fee” arrangements

DON’T RISK LOSING YOUR RIGHT TO CLAIM

But don’t leave it too long because there are strict time limits for making a claim – and leaving it as little as three years from the actual negligent incident, could mean you lose out on your right to claim compensation entirely.

Call us today to avoid making that kind of mistake.

NEED HELP WITH A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM IN BASINGSTOKE? CONTACT US TODAY

If you have been the victim of a negligent medical professional, our specialist team can help.

To help you win the compensation you are entitled to, get in touch with our specialist medical negligence solicitors today.

• Call us on 01264 364433 or FREEPHONE 0800 1404544,
  OR
• Send us an email using the contact form below

Do you live in Hertfordshire? Have you or a loved one suffered an injury because of a medical mistake?

You could be entitled to claim compensation and the specialist team of medical negligence solicitors here at Bonallack and Bishop can help you win that compensation.

UPDATE West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust – slammed as “inadequate”

The recent report on the trust by the Care Quality Commission [CQC] dated 10 September 2015 makes dreadful reading.

Let’s start off with its overall description. The hospitals run by the trust are simply “inadequate”.

But what does that actually mean? Well first of all it the second worst rating possible. The worst rating would be “no rating or rating suspended”. The CQC themselves describe “inadequate” as meaning “performing badly and we’ve taken enforcement action against the provider of the service.”

And going into more detail, the report doesn’t get any better. The five main areas of service provided by the hospitals are described as follow;

• Safety – Inadequate
• Effectiveness – Requires improvement
• Levels of care – Requires improvement
• Speed of Response –  Requires improvement
• Leadership – Inadequate

And ratings for the three individual hospitals run by the trust were little better.

Hemel Hempstead General Hospital  was classified as “Requires improvement”, whilst the other two hospitals –  St Albans City Hospital and Watford General Hospital were both considered even worse – being described as “Inadequate”.

All in all very worrying for anyone living in Hertfordshire who has to rely on the medical services provided by these three local hospitals.

HERTFORDSHIRE – A HISTORY OF RECENT MEDICAL ERRORS

Sadly, Hertfordshire hospitals have seen a steady catalogue of really serious mistakes in the last few years. Here are just 4 of them;

• Stevenage Lister Hospital required 20,000 cancer smear tests to be re-checked after one of the tester’s results dropped below the minimum 90% accuracy target for accuracy. It is estimated that about 1000 women would have to come in for a second test. The original tests were taken at Stevenage Lister Hospital, and although the samples were actually tested at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City’s QE II Hospital between July 2013 and March 2014, the need for retesting wasn’t announced until February 2015

• January 2014 saw a disappointing report on Watford General Hospital by the Care Quality Commission – Britain’s hospital regulator. As part of a routine inspection, the hospital met the required standard on only one category “Respecting and involving people who use services”. It stated that action was needed on the remaining five categories which were;
  • Care and welfare of people who use services
  • Cleanliness and infection control
  • Staffing
  • Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision
  • Records

• A report in October 2015 on ‘never events’ during surgery (i.e. events that should never have happened with proper medical care) found that the East And North Hertfordshire NHS Trust [responsible both for the Stevenage Lister Hospital and QE II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City]  was rated second-worst nationally – with mistakes including surgery on the wrong finger and a swab having been left inside a patient after a clinical procedure

• January 2015 saw West Hertfordshire NHS Trust apologise for an incredible ‘wrong body’ mix-up – when having been told that his father had died, a man was taken to see his father’s body – but actually shown that of another recently deceased patient. The report from the NHS Trust failed to identify at which of the 3 general hospitals belonging to the trust [St Albans City, Watford General, or Hemel Hempstead], the incident occurred.

Sadly, these errors are just the tip of the iceberg. Hertfordshire hospitals seem to have a high level of medical mistakes.

However here at Bonallack and Bishop [this website is run by us, not by claims management company], our team includes a solicitor who was previously a fully qualified highly experienced nurse. So you can be sure that our team really understand claiming compensation for medical errors.

We are more than happy to represent people living in Hertfordshire – in fact, we are currently running medical compensation claims for a number of clients in Hertfordshire.

YOUR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM – HOW WE CAN HELP YOU

• FREE first phone consultation
• FREE first appointment
• Your claim will be run throughout by a named specialist solicitor – not a call centre junior
• No win, no fee available to run your claim – so you won’t need to worry about racking up a big legal bill.
• Home and hospital visits for those who cannot travel

LIVE IN HERTFORDSHIRE? THINKING OF A MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM? CALL NOW

Don’t delay talking to a solicitor – it’s important to know that time limitation periods apply to every medical compensation claim – so leaving getting legal advice for too long could result in you losing out on the compensation you are due.

For FREE initial advice and a FREE 1st appointment from expert Solicitors you can trust

• Call our team now FREE on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544
• Or use the contact form below

Although most medical procedures in and around Poole go ahead successfully and without complications, not everyone is so fortunate.

If you are the victim of medical negligence you may find that you can no longer work, putting your and your family’s financial security at risk. The decision to make a medical negligence claim is not an easy one – but given what’s at stake, it is important that you choose a specialist solicitor.

Our medical negligence team are genuine specialists and if you live in Poole, we can help win you the compensation you are entitled to.

RECENT MEDICAL ERRORS IN POOLE

One girl born at Poole Hospital in 2004, who was a larger than average baby due to her mother’s medical condition, was left disabled at birth because of errors made by hospital staff.

When she was born, hospital staff used something known as the ‘corkscrew’ method to deliver her — something which displaced her right shoulder. , leaving Laura unable to use her right arm. Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was found guilty of medical negligence and Laura was awarded £100,000 in compensation, which she will receive on her 18th birthday.

Thankfully Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust apologised to Laura’s family, something which a surprising number of hospitals simply refuse to do even after clear mistakes are pointed out. The hospital also disclosed that the training of doctors has been “strengthened” since the mistakes made during Laura’s birth.

Remarkably recent research suggests that up to 5% of patients suffer whilst getting medical treatment as a result of medical negligence [often referred to as clinical negligence – it’s the same thing].

ARE STANDARDS IMPROVING AT POOLE HOSPITAL?

Early 2016 saw the publication by Monitor [the nationwide health regulator] of the NHS  “leaning from mistakes” league table. The good news is that Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was ranked top in Dorset, and 30th out of 230 NHS trusts in England.

Let’s hope this is a step in the right direction to reduce the number of errors made at the hospital.

POOLE MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE – HOW WE CAN HELP

Our team are happy to provide;

• FREE initial advice on the phone

• FREE first interview

• Hospital or home visits anywhere in Poole, Bournemouth or Dorset if you can’t travel

• No win no fee for medical compensation claims – so you don’t have to worry about paying legal bills and you keep 100% of your compensation.

Our solicitors will determine early on what the prospects of success are for your claim – and the level of damages you are likely to receive. What’s more, our medical negligence team are familiar with all types of medical claims, including:

• Surgical negligence

• Claims against GPs

• Private medical treatment claims

• Birth injury claims

• Negligent treatment of sports injuries

DON’T DELAY – CALL 01202 834450 TODAY

If you delay making your medical negligence claim you could miss out on your chance to win the compensation you deserve altogether. To prevent this from happening,

• Call our experts today on 01202 834450 or
• Complete the contact form below

Bonallack and Bishop,                    Bonallack & Bishop,
Bank Court,                                        Rougemont House,
Manor Road                                        Rougemont Close,
Manor Road                                        Salisbury,
Dorset,                                               Wiltshire,
BH31 6DY                                          SP1 1LY

Tel: [01202] 834450                           Tel: (01722) 422300