Help with Fees for Medical Reports in Clinical Negligence Cases
In a move to provide medical negligence claimants with easier access to justice, Thompsons Solicitors has introduced a new funding aspect to its Clinical Negligence Service. It follows the curtailment of legal aid and the need to help claimants who might otherwise be put off taking action because of the costs involved.
Where Thompsons decides to take on a case and the individual is not entitled to legal aid, the firm can in certain instances help pay the fee for access to a client’s medical records to help them determine the strength of their case.
Many people who have sustained injuries through clinical negligence are put off accessing justice because of the need to pay for external medical records and reports. From 1st November 2006, Thompsons can offer greater flexibility in helping clients with good cases to fund the payments needed for a medical expert’s fees for reports. These report fees can sometimes be prohibitively high.
“Our aim is to ease the upfront financial burden for people whom we consider to have a strong case,” explains Cathryn Davies, Partner at Thompsons Solicitors. “Cutbacks in public funding mean that more people are having to fund their own claims. And further confusion arises because so few firms are up front about the costs involved in bringing a claim.
“Transparency is essential for clients because they want to know where they stand, not only from a legal perspective but with the costs involved. Our aim is to secure maximum compensation for injured people and ensure that they can receive the same high quality, low cost service in clinical negligence as in other areas of personal injury.
“Many firms simply aren’t clear about the legal costs involved in bringing a claim. Furthermore, it’s not unusual for people to find themselves with a £5,000 bill just to investigate whether or not they have a case. Others win their cases thinking their costs will be paid by the other side only to find that their own solicitor has sent them a bill too.”
Thompsons' specialist clinical negligence solicitors
Thompsons Solicitors has been getting compensation for working people for over 80 years. Mindful of the fact that many people do not have the money to spare for legal costs bills, the firm’s approach is to seek realistic and cost effective solutions for their problems.
Thompsons has also issued guidance on the process involved with bringing a clinical negligence claim, which can be viewed by visiting our online brochure.
Care has been taken to explain legal terms to ensure that people fully understand what is involved.
The clinical negligence team at Thompsons forms part of the most experienced personal injury firm in the UK. Individuals can also get legal aid funding through the firm as it is recognised by the Legal Services Commission as a specialist provider in this field of law.
Concerned about negligent medical treatment or diagnoses? Talk to us for advice and support today.
Our discreet and compassionate medical negligence solicitors are experienced in the full range of medical injury claims and will work with you to establish whether you have a medical negligence compensation claim.
If you, or a loved one, think you have suffered medical negligence, such as a birth injury (for example, a cerebral palsy diagnosis following a difficult birth), misdiagnosis (such as cancer misdiagnosis), or suffered negligence during an operation contact us for advice.
If the incident happened more than three years ago, you will usually not be able to make a claim for compensation. However, exceptions do apply – such as instances where you could not have reasonably known your symptoms were caused by clinical negligence, or cases involves adults who lack legal capacity or children – so contact us for advice.
For further information, visit our How to Make A Compensation Claim page.