At Garratts, our experienced GP negligence solicitors have successfully represented patients whose doctors’ care fell below acceptable standards, securing the compensation they deserve to move forward with their lives.
Experienced GP Negligence Solicitors in Greater Manchester
Your GP should be someone you trust with your health and wellbeing. When that trust is broken through negligent care, the consequences can be devastating. Our team of GP negligence solicitors have helped countless patients who have suffered due to substandard care from their family GP. For a free, no-obligation consultation about your potential GP negligence claim, call us on 0161 665 3502, send an email to [email protected] or complete our contact form.
What Are GP Negligence Claims?
GP negligence, often referred to as doctor negligence, occurs when a general practitioner fails to provide the standard of care that’s reasonably expected, resulting in harm to their patient.
Clinical negligence remains a significant concern within the healthcare system.
Your GP is often your first point of contact when you’re feeling unwell. While most provide excellent care, mistakes can happen with serious consequences. We’ve represented patients who’ve suffered everything from delayed cancer diagnoses to medication errors that caused permanent harm.
Did you know that just because you received treatment from an NHS GP doesn’t mean you can’t claim?
GP negligence claims can be made against both NHS and private GPs. If you’re concerned about your GP’s care, start documenting everything immediately. Keep notes of conversations, save text messages and photograph any visible symptoms or injuries.
Common Types of GP Negligence
Our GP negligence solicitors have successfully pursued compensation for numerous issues. Here are some of the most frequent cases we see:
Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis
This is by far the most common GP negligence claim we handle. It happens when your GP either diagnoses the wrong condition or fails to spot the warning signs of a serious illness.
We’ve successfully claimed for cases involving:
- Missed heart attacks and strokes where patients were told they had indigestion or stress
- Chronic disease or cancer diagnosis delayed by months or years, significantly reducing survival chances or long-term health impacts
- Meningitis dismissed as viral infections with live-altering consequences
Prescription Errors
Medication mistakes by GPs can cause serious harm through wrong drugs, incorrect dosages, or failure to check for allergies and drug interactions.
Common prescription errors include:
- Wrong medication prescribed
- Incorrect dosages
- Failure to check patient’s allergy history before prescribing
- Prescribing drugs that interact dangerously with existing medications
- Continuing medications that should have been stopped or reviewed
- Dispensing errors with incorrect administration instructions
Recent Incorrect Formulation Case Study
We recently helped Mrs M who had been receiving a special brand of Phenytoin medication for a year. Her GP erroneously prescribed an incorrect formulation without informing her or obtaining her consent.
This negligence prescription caused multiple symptoms including headaches, lethargy, disorientation, nausea and reduced appetite along with prolonged periods of pain.
Our expert evidence from a leading Consultant Pharmacologist confirmed both the erroneous prescription and failure to obtain consent represented negligence. We secured £5,000 compensation for Mrs M.
Poor Follow-Up Care
GPs have a duty to monitor ongoing conditions and follow up on test results. When they fail to do this properly, patients can suffer serious consequences.
Examples include:
- Abnormal blood test results not acted upon or communicated to patients
- Chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension not properly monitored
- Failure to call patients back for essential repeat prescriptions
- Missing vital follow-up appointments after hospital discharge
- Not recognising deteriorating conditions during routine reviews
Failure to Refer or Investigate
GPs should recognise when symptoms require specialist investigation or urgent referral. When they fail to do this, treatable conditions can become chronic or even fatal.
We’ve handled cases involving:
- Cancer symptoms not referred for urgent investigation under two-week rules
- Chest pains not referred for cardiac assessment
- Suspicious lumps or moles not referred to specialists
- Back pain with red flag symptoms not investigated for serious spinal conditions
- Children’s developmental concerns not referred for assessment
Remember that you have the right to ask for a second opinion or specialist referral if you aren’t satisfied with your GP’s assessment. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re wasting NHS resources. Early detection saves lives.
Is There a Time Limit for GP Negligence Claims?
Yes, you generally have three years to start legal proceedings from either:
- The date of the negligent GP treatment, or
- When you first realised your injury was caused by poor care (the “date of knowledge”)
Special rules apply for:
- Children: Time limit starts on their 18th birthday
- Adults lacking mental capacity: May have no time limit
- Fatal cases: Three years from the date of death
However, don’t assume it’s too late without checking. We’ve successfully pursued claims that initially seemed out of time, particularly where patients didn’t immediately connect ongoing health problems with their GP’s negligent care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Will making a claim affect my ongoing GP care?
No. Your compensation claim is separate from your ongoing medical care. Healthcare professionals have a duty to continue providing appropriate treatment regardless of legal proceedings.
Q. How do I get my medical records for my GP negligence claim?
We will obtain all relevant medical records on your behalf, including GP notes, hospital records, and any test results. This typically takes 2-3 months and is covered under our No Win No Fee arrangement.
Q. What if my GP denies any negligence?
Most GPs carry professional indemnity insurance precisely for these situations. Even if your GP initially denies negligence, claims often settle once expert evidence is presented.
We prepare every case thoroughly with independent medical expert opinions. In our experience, clear expert evidence often leads to early settlement discussions rather than protracted disputes.
