Medical Negligence Solicitors Manchester

How can we help?

Our medical negligence solicitors understand how clinical errors and malpractice often put significant strain on families, finances, careers, and home life.

We’re here to support your recovery and take the stress out of the claim process – from start to finish.

We offer a free initial meeting either at our offices, at your home, in a hospital or, where none of these options is possible, by telephone.

This allows us to evaluate your claim quickly and offer expert advice on the best course of action.

Once your claim is validated, we then review all relevant medical records and guide you through the medical negligence claims process in a friendly, sympathetic, and professional manner.

Our solicitors deal with cases involving both the NHS and private sector. We can assist you with the NHS complaints process or private healthcare claims process covered by ISCAS (Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service), in addition to representation at inquest hearings.

Get in touch today to organise a free, initial consultation with one of our team.

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Peace of mind through stressful times

Medical negligence claims are mostly the direct result of poor treatment from doctors, dentists, nurses or midwives – though you can pursue a claim following malpractice by any healthcare professional.

Whether you seek an apology, compensation or an explanation of what happened, we will proactively and efficiently deal with your claim. We also support your full recovery by helping you access expert analysis and treatment.

It’s important to act as quickly as possible, preferably within three years of an incident, to ensure we can progress your claim and secure early interim payments where due.

Our medical negligence solicitors in Manchester have a fantastic reputation for gaining excellent results, representing clients all over the UK. You can see what our clients think on the independent review platform, ReviewSolicitors.

The medical negligence claim process

There are several steps involved with a medical negligence claim, including:

Solicitor evaluation – Our team have plenty of experience in successfully pursuing medical negligence claims and can provide expert advice on your situation as part of an initial consultation. If we consider the claim has a reasonable prospect of success, we will undertake matters on a “no win, no fee” basis.
Expert evaluation – If your solicitor believes there is a solid case, you can proceed with proving two key factors of any medical negligence claim: breach of duty (i.e. the treatment or care was unreasonable) and causation (i.e. harm was caused as a result of the unreasonable treatment). Proving these factors requires reports from independent medical experts.
Valuation – At this stage, your claim will be valued to determine an appropriate and fair compensation for the damages. This will include general damages, covering pain and suffering, and special damages, covering expenses and loss of earnings.
Letter of claim – We’ll then submit a letter of claim to the defendant to outline your case. The defendant has four months to respond. They may conduct their own investigation and consult other medical experts during this time.
Settlement or court – If the defendant accepts your medical negligence claim, we’ll negotiate a settlement. But, if an agreement cannot be reached, or the defendant denies any wrongdoing from the outset, the case may proceed to court.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is medical negligence?

All medical professionals, whether doctors, nurses, physiotherapists or healthcare assistants, owe a duty of care to their patients. If their treatment falls below the relevant standard of care, resulting in injury or loss, this is called medical negligence (often referred to as clinical negligence).

The same rules which govern medical negligence claims apply in both the NHS and where treatment is provided by private healthcare facilities.

For a medical negligence claim to be successful, it must be shown that there was a breach of that duty of care; that it has caused or contributed to the injury that the patient in question suffered. If you feel that you, or a member of your family, are a victim of clinical negligence, then it is important to speak with a solicitor as soon as possible.

What are the different types of medical negligence?

Medical negligence can take on several different forms, including the following:

Surgical errors during an operating procedure
Prescription errors, including prescribing medication or the wrong dosage
Offering incorrect or inappropriate treatment
Misdiagnosis, or delay in diagnosis, e.g. cancer
Undue delay in providing appropriate treatment
Failure to provide the correct treatment
Failure to provide sufficient information to allow a patient to make informed consent relating to treatment before proceeding
Dental negligence claims: dental surgical mistakes and failure to provide appropriate long-term dental care and management
Mistakes made during pregnancy and birth by falling below the appropriate standard of care

A medical professional can cause further injury or harm to the patient, which can even endanger the lives of those patients. It is extremely important to report any concerns or incidents as soon as possible. Our solicitors can advise in reporting matters and making complaints to the relevant healthcare provider where appropriate.

How long do I have to report medical negligence?

Medical negligence claims usually have to be brought within three years of the negligence causing the injury. Or, claims can be brought three years from when it would reasonably have been expected that a patient would have known a potentially negligent treatment causing injury.

Will I need to go to court for a medical negligence claim?

Most medical negligence claims settle by negotiation before they go to trial.

Our team will ensure that the claim is progressed properly and prepared with care and accuracy so that it has the best chance of success if it goes to court.

We will always seek to settle a matter by negotiation on the best terms for the client where this is possible.

Will I need medical evidence to support my claim?

In almost all cases, medical evidence will be needed to support and bring a successful conclusion to a claim. We will always ensure that the most appropriate medical experts are instructed.

We can arrange an insurance policy that will provide the client with an indemnity regarding the costs associated with that expert medical evidence to provide peace of mind.

Providing as much information and evidence as possible will assist in resolving your claim expeditiously.

Client satisfaction

“Excellent service. The Slater Heelis team were reassuring, professional, patient, sympathetic and also very knowledgeable throughout. Their guidance has been the best I could have hoped for.

I’d highly recommend them to resolve tricky legal claims. They take away the worry and anxiety and prioritise your needs. An all round excellent service with great attention to detail and the very best guidance.”