Clinical Negligence Made Clear: A Guide for Patients and Professionals

Clinical negligence claims currently cost the NHS over £2 billion every year and is time-consuming, expensive and stressful for all involved. For those whose lives have been changed dramatically as a result of negligent medical treatment, bringing a claim may be the only means of obtaining redress for the harm done to them. For healthcare professionals the fear of litigation is a real concern and contributes to an unhealthy, even dangerous culture of blame.

Clinical Negligence Made Clear: A Guide for Patients and Professionals is an attempt by one the country’s leading clinical negligence practitioners to help all those who might be affected by such cases to understand what is involved and thereby to reduce the cost and emotional impact of clinical negligence litigation.

In concise, accessible language, Nigel Poole:-

• charts how clinical negligence has evolved, its place within the justice system and how compensation is assessed
• explains ten core legal principles of clinical negligence such as the doctor’s duty of care and the standards expected of healthcare professionals
• sets out how a claim proceeds and what happens before and during a trial
• focuses on specific common areas of clinical negligence claims such as wrongful birth, delays in cancer treatment and cosmetic surgery
• looks to the future and asks whether the current system is sustainable

The aim is to provide an intelligent but accessible guide so that everyone caught up in legal proceedings has a realistic view of the impact they will have and a clearer understanding of when a dispute might be best resolved early.