Medical Negligence - Adviceline Injury Lawyers

The Process and Our Service

Adviceline Injury Lawyers has lawyers with many years experience in handling complex medical negligence claims. These lawyers will ensure that a patient's claim is investigated thoroughly in order to give considered and realistic advice as to the chances of success. The following is an indication of the process that a patient will go through, in conjunction with a lawyer, to prepare a medical negligence claim.

• the patient would have a preliminary interview with a lawyer who would obtain the patient's personal and medical history, the information as to the alleged medical negligence, and the names and contact details of the patient's medical practitioners.
• if we recommend a patient proceed with investigating a claim, he/she would then sign medical authority documents allowing access to his/her medical records.
• once the medical records are received, the patient's lawyer would go through them with him/her and in most cases would then recommend that an independent expert medical report be obtained from someone who practices in the same field as the doctor complained of. The patient's lawyer would prepare specific questions that need to be answered to determine the merits of his/her claim. This opinion is provided based on the patient's medical records and would not usually involve a medical examination unless it was considered necessary.
• the patient will then be assessed as to whether the injury he/she sustained amounts to a significant injury. This will require a medical examination to gauge his/her level of impairment according to the thresholds mentioned above. If there is any dispute as to the level of the assessment, the case could be referred to a Medical Panel for determination.
• once the independent medical expert report has been received and the assessment of impairment is determined, the patient will have a further discussion with his/her lawyer and will decide whether to issue proceedings based on the investigations that have been conducted.