Although it seems unlikely that GP's make fewer mistakes than other doctors they are on the whole less likely to get sued, probably, at least in part, because of the special on-going relationship that many patients have with their GP's. Also, the vast majority of care in General Practice is provided by fully trained doctors in contrast to the situation in hospitals where junior doctors still in training provide most of the care. Independent surveys consistently demonstrate a high level of patient satisfaction with GP services, although it is also possible that negligence is more difficult to prove in General Practice than in other medical specialties.
Core services provided by GP's are:
- Medical care for the patient and his/her family
- Preventative care and health promotion advice (e.g. vaccination and screening)
- Initial assessment of all presenting problems.
- Co-ordination and utilisation of secondary care services.
- Advice on obtaining social service assistance.
In addition many GP's provide supplementary services that include:
- Contraceptive advice
- Fitting of intra-uterine contraceptive devices
- Maternity care
- Minor surgery
- Child health surveillance
- Travel advice and vaccinations
The commonest reasons for negligence claims against GP's are:
- Failure to visit a patient at home where the history suggests a possibly serious problem.
- Failure to adequately examine the patient.
- Not acting on the results of tests (such as abnormal cervical smear result)
- Failure to communicate with other health care professionals resulting in sub-standard care.
- Failure to adequately investigate symptoms.
- Failure to refer to a specialist when necessary.
- Not keeping proper records resulting in harm to patient.
- Performing minor surgical procedures they are not competent to undertake.
- Inappropriate prescribing of drugs.
As there are now so many powerful drugs available to the GP, and as prescriptions are given in at least 75% of consultations it is hardly surprising that claims for the prescribing of inappropriate or contraindicated drugs are increasing.
JMW Solicitors have one of the most experienced and respected medical and clinical negligence compensation claims teams in the UK. We are able to deal with cases using public funding (formerly Legal Aid) or No Win No Fee in appropriate cases. If after talking to us you decide not to take matters further you are under no obligation to do so and you will not be charged for our initial advice session.
For an assessment of your potential claim, please click here to complete our online enquiry form and one of our specialists will contact you shortly or please contact us on 0845 402 0001.
