A GP negligence claim seeks compensation for the effects of medical negligence on your life. The medical negligence by a GP could delay the treatment of an illness, misdiagnose a condition as a lesser one and even put your life in danger.

The GP has a duty of care to all their patients. If they breach that duty of care, causing an injury, then it could be medical negligence. Medical negligence is care by a medical professional that falls below the standard any other medical professional would provide in similar circumstances.

If your GP breaches their duty of care by failing to treat you or by not referring you for tests, then it could be medical negligence. The negligence by the GP can cause an injury, and you may have a compensation claim.

Ross Aldridge medical negligence solicitors in Cheltenham, can be with you when making the GP negligence compensation claim.

What is GP negligence?

GP negligence is when the GP breaches their duty of care to a patient. The GP must provide a standard of medical care at a level any other medical professional would provide in similar circumstances. A lower standard of medical care causing injury could be GP negligence.

NHS Resolution handles complaints of medical negligence against the NHS. In a recent report, NHS Resolution states that it paid out £2.8 billion to settle claims in the years 2023-2024. 83% of claims, or around 10,800 individual claims, were settled by NHS Resolution without the need to go to court. The Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice saw an increase of 9% in claims from 2023 to 2024. There were 2,382 claims handled under the CNSGP scheme during the period, an increase of 202 from the 2,180 claims over the previous year. 

GP negligence is on the rise, but the NHS is settling many GP negligence claims through NHS Resolution, and GP patients are seeing compensation being paid for their avoidable injuries.

Ross Aldridge no win no fee medical negligence solicitors can handle your GP negligence claim and can work with NHS Resolution to settle your negligence claim.

Common GP negligence claims

Common GP negligence claims range from the failure to refer a patient for further tests to making prescription errors to missed diagnosis negligence.

You can make a GP negligence claim for the effects of the medical negligence on your life today and in the future.

Types of GP negligence claims in England:

  • Failure to treat claim 

  • Failure to refer for tests claim 

  • Missed diagnosis claim 

  • Misdiagnosis errors claim 

  • Prescription errors claim

Failure to treat claim

The failure to treat GP negligence can put the health of the patient in danger and may cause serious injury. The GP has a duty of care to treat a patient, and a failure to do so can constitute medical negligence.

Types of failure to treat negligence:

  • Failure to treat an infection with antibiotics

  • Failure to treat a skin condition with the correct medication

  • Failure to treat a diagnosed medical condition

Ross Aldridge Solicitors can make your GP negligence claim for a failure to treat you when ill.

Failure to refer for tests claim

A failure to refer for tests GP negligence is when your GP fails to refer you for tests when you are showing the symptoms of a condition.

The GP should refer you for cancer tests when you are showing signs such as pain and an elevated blood count.

Your GP should refer a patient for cardiac testing who has the symptoms of heart issues and has a family history of cardiac illness.

A GP should refer you for tests for diabetes when you are ill, and your lifestyle and family history indicate a possibility of diabetes.

Missed diagnosis claim

The missed diagnosis GP negligence is a missed opportunity to treat a condition at an early stage and possibly have a less invasive course of treatment.

Types of missed diagnosis GP negligence claims:

  • Missed diagnosis of an indigestion issue leads to surgery for an ulcer

  • Missed diagnosis of a shoulder injury causes pain and unnecessary suffering

  • Missed diagnosis of a minor infection leads to a possible case of sepsis

Any missed diagnosis could be medical negligence by a GP, and you may have a compensation claim.

Misdiagnosis errors claim

Misdiagnosis errors GP negligence is when the GP misdiagnoses a condition or an illness, and the patient has unnecessary suffering as a result.

The GP may misdiagnose a case of pneumonia as a dose of flu, and the patient may need to spend time in hospital to recover.

A GP may make errors reading test results and misdiagnose cancer as another infection, which could cause delays in the correct treatment for the cancer.

When a GP makes a misdiagnosis error of a leg injury and does not send you for an X-ray, you may suffer unnecessary pain until the correct diagnosis is made.

Ross Aldridge medical negligence solicitors can look at the details of your misdiagnosis claim and seek compensation for the clinical errors.

Prescription errors claim

Prescription errors GP negligence can happen when the GP does not read a patient’s notes correctly and makes an error when prescribing a medication.

Types of GP prescription error negligence:

  • GP prescribes an antibiotic the patient is allergic to, according to their notes

  • GP prescribes too weak a dose of medication for a patient

  • GP does not prescribe the correct medication to treat the patient

A GP prescription error can cause treatment delays and may even put the life of the patient in danger.

Ross Aldridge No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitors can make the GP negligence compensation claim for the impact of the negligence on your life.

Compensation for a GP negligence claim

Compensation for a GP negligence claim can range in amounts from the low £10,000s to over £10 million in some cases of severe injury.

Any compensation for GP negligence varies depending on how much discomfort and disruption you experience in your life today and in the future due to errors by your GP.

A GP negligence compensation claim can result in high awards, such as when a patient suffers unnecessary pain and discomfort due to the misdiagnosis of a back injury.

A patient who is not referred for further testing when showing symptoms of cancer could see the disease spread and may need more intensive treatment than if diagnosed earlier.

Compensation for GP medical negligence can see claims of:

  • Unnecessary pain due to GP negligence -£56,700

  • Undiagnosed cancer due to GP’s failure to refer for testing – £62,400

  • A misdiagnosis of diabetes by the GP – £78,900

  • Illness due to the prescription error by a GP – £94,100

  • GP negligence leads to sepsis in a patient – £109,500

(The figures given here are for General Damages, the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity following an injury when under the care of a GP. In the medical negligence injury claim, you may also receive compensation for any financial losses, the Special Damages you suffer due to the GP negligence)

As in all medical negligence claims, each case is dealt with according to the facts and the details of the individual patient.

Ross Aldridge No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitors can advise on GP negligence claims and can help you form a successful compensation claim.

What can you claim for in a GP Negligence Claim?

In a GP negligence claim, you claim compensation for any damages that occurred when under the care of the GP. You claim compensation for the injury due to the GP’s breach of duty of care.

There are two types of compensation damages due when claiming for any kind of medical negligence, such as GP Negligence:

General Damages in a GP Negligence claim are for any pain, suffering and loss of amenity, PSLA, you have experienced due to the misdiagnosis by a GP or any form of negligence with your prescriptions and medical treatment.

  • Pain is what you suffer above what would be a standard range of pain for the condition you have and for a person with your medical history.
  • Suffering is the unnecessary discomfort you go through following the errors made by the GP when treating you.
  • Loss of Amenity is the difficulty in carrying out your everyday activities, such as walking, sitting, playing sports, and sleeping, after the GP negligence.

Special Damages in a GP negligence claim are for the loss of earnings and financial costs due to the medical negligence and other out-of-pocket expenses. 

  • Loss of earnings includes compensation for time off work and any reduction of your income in the future. 
  • Financial costs are for any care you will need as a result of the medical negligence by your GP
  • Out-of-pocket expenses cover medical appointments, travel, accommodation, and meals.

You will need to keep all receipts for all expenses, such as payments for meals, any hotel stays and travel to and from medical appointments.

Your solicitor can make a compensation claim to cover all of your losses due to the cost, and long-term care needs from the injury due to GP negligence.

When you or a loved one suffers due to GP negligence, like when you are ill due to errors with your prescriptions, you can claim medical negligence compensation. 

Potential effects of GP negligence

The effects of GP negligence range from undiagnosed cancer to unnecessary pain and suffering. Some effects of GP negligence can be minor, but they could still have an impact on your life.

You are the one who is suffering from the effects of GP negligence, and you are the one living with the long-term impact on your life. The effects of GP medical negligence may lead to difficulties finding employment and incur years of additional medical bills and care costs.

GP Negligence can lead to your condition worsening, delays in beginning treatment, and, in some cases, the death of a loved one.

Effects of GP negligence on a patient can be:

  • Living with a missed diagnosis of cancer

  • A misdiagnosis of a stomach ulcer as indigestion

  • Undiagnosed problems with a pregnancy

  • Suffering due to the failure to refer an ill patient to the A&E

  • Delays in treatment for cancer and other severe conditions

  • Nausea and illness due to a prescription error

  • The patient being on the incorrect course of treatment

  • Undiagnosed mental health issues

  • A missed diagnosis of appendicitis

  • The death of a patient due to errors by the GP

Ross Aldridge Solicitors can make your GP negligence claim and get you the compensation you deserve for the effects on your life.

Who can make a claim for GP medical negligence?

You can make a claim for GP negligence. You are the one who has had to suffer the severe effects and may have to live with long-term pain and suffering due to errors by the GP.

When a patient passes away due to GP negligence or cannot represent themselves, their dependents may have a compensation claim.

Loved ones in a GP negligence compensation claim are known as ‘dependents’ and can be:

  • A spouse or former spouse of the patient

  • Someone who lived with the patient for two years as a husband, wife, or civil partner.

  • Blood children, adopted children or those who became children through marriage or civil partnership

  • Parents and those acting as parents, such as a guardian or step-parents

  • Grandparents or great-grandparents

  • Brothers, sisters, cousins, and other direct relatives

If you have a GP negligence claim, your Ross Aldridge No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitor will work with you to make a compensation claim.

Make your GP medical negligence claim today

Make your GP medical negligence claim today by contacting Ross Aldridge Solicitors in Cheltenham. We have the experience of working with claimants for medical negligence throughout southern England to get them the compensation they deserve.

You can claim if you suffered when under the care of a GP, such as when you have a case of undiagnosed cancer or if the GP failed to refer you to A&E after an accident in the home.

Ross Aldridge Solicitors will fight the GP medical negligence compensation claim on a no win no fee basis. You will not pay fees if you do not win compensation, and you will not be out of pocket at any stage.

Contact Ross Aldridge Solicitors in Cheltenham to start your GP medical negligence compensation claim today.

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