Call us FREE on 0151 375 9916
Helpline Open 24 Hours A Day

£85 million in compensation

Won for our clients by JF Law Solicitors

How To Make A GP Negligence Claim

If you have been harmed by negligent treatment or advice, you could make a GP negligence claim. 

Excellent
four and a half stars TrustPilot score
TrustPilot Reviews Logo

£70 million in compensation

Won for our clients by JF Law Solicitors

How To Make A GP Negligence Claim

If you have been harmed by negligent treatment or advice, you could make a GP negligence claim. 

Excellent
four and a half stars TrustPilot score
TrustPilot Reviews Logo

GP Negligence Claim – Could I Make One?

Primary care services, such as your GP, are often the first point of contact you have with the health service if you are ill or sick. We rely on GPs and the services GP surgeries provide. They should correctly diagnose an illness or injury and either recommend the correct treatment, prescribe the right medication, or refer patients for further care if needed. If negligent treatment by a GP caused you harm, you could make a GP negligence claim

In this guide we look at GP negligence claims, explaining what they are and providing some examples of potential claims against a GP.  We cover how to complain if you think you have received negligent treatment, as well as how compensation is calculated in a clinical negligence claim. We discuss how long a case could take and, importantly, how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you.

Contact Us

For more information on making a medical negligence claim, please contact our team. 

  • You can call us now on a 0151 375 9916.
  • Use our ‘Contact Us’ form to start a claim online. 
  • Message our team using the live chat on this page.

What Is A GP Negligence Claim?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) set guidelines which should be followed in general practice. The General Medical Council (GMC) also sets out professional standards for doctors. These things can indicate the standard that GPs should be expected to meet.

GPs have a duty of care to ensure that any treatment or advice they provide meets the minimum standard of care required. This duty extends to GPs working for the public and private healthcare sectors. 

Examples of how a GP or other healthcare professional should meet their duty of care may include;

  • Listening to a patient to make sure that all of their symptoms are fully understood.
  • Making sure they provide all necessary and relevant advice, such as how to use medication they are prescribing. 
  • Referring patients for further tests or to a specialist for assessment. 

GP Negligence Claims Criteria

In order to make a GP negligence claim, you need to meet the following criteria.

  1. That your GP owed you a duty of care. 
  2. That this duty of care has been breached. For example, your GP failed to refer you for further testing despite displaying clear signs of lung cancer.
  3. The breach caused you unnecessary harm, such as cancer spreading and becoming harder to treat. 

To find out more about medical negligence claims, please contact our team.

What Are Examples Of GP Negligence?

GP negligence could happen in many different ways. In order to make a claim for medical negligence, you will need to be able to show that a medical professional has negligently caused you harm. 

Below, we have included several examples of when you could make a GP negligence claim

  • A doctor may make a medication error. They could prescribe you medication that contains an ingredient you have a known allergy to. This could lead to an allergic reaction, which in some cases could be fatal.
  • Your GP could fail to sterilise equipment when performing a minor procedure correctly. Doing so could cause you to contract an infection. 
  • Misdiagnosis. Your GP could misdiagnose your breast cancer as a swollen lymph node. This could lead to the cancer spreading and requiring more invasive treatment. 

To learn more about types of negligent GP treatment, you could claim for, please speak to our team. 

A patient with their GP

Established, Experienced, Dependable, Responsive and Committed

Providing a quality service means everything to us. Our only interest is getting you a result that you’re happy with. Why not see what some of our previous clients had to say about our service?

Can I Make A Complaint About GP Negligence?

In addition to making medical negligence claims, you could make a complaint about the individual GP or the GP practice as a whole. 

Whether the GP worked in the NHS or private sector, you could raise concerns with the GMC. This is the regulatory body for doctors. The GMC will take your complaint seriously and will investigate it. Whilst they can not award compensation, they can discipline the GP if the complaint is upheld and serious enough. 

You can also send feedback and make a complaint directly to the NHS about care received at a GP surgery. GPs operating in the NHS may not be directly employed by them but are contracted by them. This means complaints may be made to the local or national NHS body responsible. All GP surgeries should also have a complaints procedure in place. 

Making a complaint about negligent GP treatment means that the GP in question may be investigated and (if appropriate) disciplined. For more information on how medical negligence claims against GPs work, please contact our team.

What Could My GP Negligence Compensation Amount Be?

If you have been harmed due to negligent treatment by a GP you could be left suffering physical and emotional harm. In addition, you may also have experienced lost income, had to pay for medical care or faced other expenses. 

Your medical negligence compensation may include damages for both your pain and suffering (general damages) and related costs or losses (special damages). 

In the table below, we have used figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to provide examples of how much you could potentially be awarded for different types of harm. We have used the JCG as this is a document that may be used when your claim is being valued for general damages. This is because it lists compensation guidelines for different types of harm.

Please note, however, that the first figure does not come from the JCG.

Compensation Guidelines

HarmSeverityNotesCompensation
Multiple serious forms of harm as well as special damages.SeriousThis may include damages for multiple serious or severe forms of harm plus special damages, such as medical costs.Up to £1,000,000+
Brain damageModerately severeThe person may be left seriously disabled and substantially dependent on other people.£267,340 to £344,150
Moderate – iiiInstances of brain damage affecting memory and concentration.£52,550 to £110,720
Lung diseaseSignificant worsening lung functionDue to a disease such as emphysema and impairing breathing.£66,890 to £85,460
Kidney damageSignificant risk of future infectionThe person is at significant risk of a urinary tract infection in the future.Up to £78,080
Digestive SystemNon-traumatic injury causing illness/damageHospital admission for severe toxicosis that causes acute pain.£46,900 to £64,070
AnkleModerateFractures which give rise to less serious disabilities.£16,770 to £32,450
HerniaContinuing painAfter repair, there will be a limitation on employment and physical activities.£18,180 to £29,490
WristFractureRecovery takes longer than 12 months.£7,420 to £12,630

Special Damages In GP Negligence Claims

As highlighted above, your medical malpractice claim may also include damages for your financial losses. In order for your clinical negligence claim to include special damages, you must provide evidence of these losses and show that they are because of your negligent treatment.

Examples of what you could claim may include:

  • Loss of earnings and income. 
  • The cost of medical care and treatment. 
  • The cost of medication. 
  • Costs related to adapting your home or vehicle. 

For more information on making a GP negligence claim, please contact our team. We could connect you to one of our experienced GP negligence solicitors.

We pride ourselves on providing the best service
possible for our clients.

We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible for our clients.

What Do I Need To Make A GP Negligence Claim?

To make any type of clinical negligence claim, you will need to collect evidence which can support your case. This must show that a duty of care was breached and that the breach caused you unnecessary harm.

Types of evidence which could show a healthcare professional’s negligent actions harmed you could include:

  • Copies of your medical records, such as your GP health record. This can show the initial diagnosis, whether any examinations, scans or referrals were made and what treatment (if any) you were given. 
  • Any letters or correspondence between you and the GP surgery you visited. 
  • Details of any financial losses, such as copies of your wage slips or bank statements. 
  • The contact details of anyone who witnessed your treatment, such as a family member who attended your GP appointment.

One of our expert GP negligence solicitors could help you gather evidence supporting your claim. For more information on how they could help support your medical negligence claim, please contact our team.

How Long Will My GP Negligence Claim Take?

All doctor negligence claims must be started within the applicable time limit. The clinical negligence claims time limit is three years (unless certain exceptions apply). This time limit begins either from the date the medical negligence took place or the date on which you became aware the medical negligence harmed you. This is stated within the Limitation Act 1980.

This is the time limit that your claim needs to be started within, this does not mean this is how long your claim will take to be completed.

Doctor negligence claims are each unique with different circumstances. This means there is no standard time frame for how long a claim will take. Whether the defendant accepts liability, how long it takes to gather evidence and whether or not you have already made a complete recovery can all affect how long your claim takes to settle.

One of our expert GP negligence solicitors could help you to successfully claim for medical negligence. Learn more about medical negligence claims by contacting our team.

Various blister packs of pills.

Why Claim For Medical Negligence On A No Win No Fee Basis?

Our expert solicitors have years of experience working on various types of medical negligence claims, including GP negligence claims. Additionally, they could offer to work with you under a Conditional Fee Agreement.

By using this type of No Win No Fee agreement, you could work with one of our solicitors without the need to make an upfront payment. If your claim is not successful, your solicitor will not charge for their services. 

Instead, you will be asked to pay a success fee if you win your case and only at it’s conclusion. This fee will be a percentage of your compensation that is legally capped.

For more information on when and how to make a GP negligence claim, please contact our team. 

  • Phone an advisor 0151 375 9916
  • Send a message using our ‘contact us’ form. 
  • Talk to us on the live chat at the bottom of this page.

More Resources Related To Claiming Compensation

Below, you can learn more about the other types of compensation claims we could help you with:

Here, we provide further resources:

Thank you for reading our guide on what a GP negligence claim is. For further information on making a medical negligence claim, please get in touch.

Our Latest Customer Reviews

View our latest reviews from our clients on Trustpilot
Excellent
TrustPilot 5 stars image
Based on 493 reviews
Large TrustPilot Logo
Excellent
TrustPilot 5 stars image
Based on 493 reviews
Large TrustPilot Logo

AS SEEN ON

Contact Us

Our helpline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

All calls are free and there’s no pressure whatsoever to proceed with a compensation claim. 

If you write to us, we aim to respond within an hour or two, and no more than a few hours. 

Request a Callback