No Win No Fee Medical Negligence Claims

In most medical negligence cases you can claim for free and keep all of your compensation and pay nothing if you win or lose.

UK Medical Negligence Claim Specialists

We have specialist Medical Negligence Claim Solicitors ready and waiting to help you across the UK.

Not Sure What To Do?

Simply call us or complete the quick enquiry on the right and let us explain your legal rights and your options (at no cost to you and no obligation).

Medical Negligence Compensation Culture?

Is the NHS responsible for every aspect of your health?

The NHS was formed in 1948 as part of an ambitious plan to provide quality healthcare to all citizens and to be paid for by taxes. The NHS is available to all and covers a huge range of health care services. But increasingly many are wondering just how responsible the NHS is for the health of the people. Most would agree that the NHS should provide a reasonable level of quality and services, but in recent years some are questioning to what extent the NHS is actually responsible for so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’ such as obesity.

There are a range of moral, economical and political arguments surrounding the extent to which the NHS should be responsible for the nation’s health, and many questions as to how much the NHS should do to fulfil its duty of care to a patient before it could be regarded as being negligent.

One example of controversy regarding the NHS’s responsibility is that of proposals to incentivise people to lead healthier lifestyles. One Primary Care Trust in Kent offered a ‘pounds for pounds’ scheme where overweight people have been given money to lose weight. From an economic perspective this scheme could be beneficial if it saved the NHS money, but some could take the view that on principle the NHS should not be paying people to take steps to lead a healthier lifestyle. Most would agree that encouragement would be a cheaper and more appropriate option but while incentive schemes are here people will continue to question just how much should the NHS do for people’s health.

Where does NHS responsibility end and taking your own start?

The burden on the taxpayer through those who, despite professional advice and publicity campaigns, deliberately lead unhealthy lifestyles is immense. But the question for policy makers is where does the NHS responsibility end and patient responsibility start? Who decides whether a person is unwell through no reasonable fault of their own or whether the illness is ‘self-inflicted’, and based on what criteria?

Deciding this can be packed with moral dilemmas and contradictory arguments. There could also be legal implications if a patient is refused treatment on the basis that they had harmed themselves by allegedly not leading a healthier lifestyle when they had the option to take advantage of services designed to help them lose weight or change their diet.

‘Compensation culture’ to blame

With increasing payouts by the NHS on claims of medical negligence, many are blaming a rising culture of compensation and litigation for attitudes towards NHS responsibility to citizens’ health. Whereas previously many were prepared to accept a line between the responsibility of the State and that of the individual, the spate of actions by some medical negligence legal firms and so-called ‘ambulance chasers’ now mean there is a belief by somepeople that they can sue for almost anything that disadvantages them in some way.

With reforms to the NHS on their way, it is hoped that some of these issues will be resolved and a more acceptable balance between blame and responsibility will be found.

Back to Medical Negligence Articles

FREE GUIDE - 7 Questions You Must Ask Before Choosing Your Medical Negligence Solicitor

If you believe you have been the victim of an act of medical or clinical negligence you need our free guide which answers all of the questions that you need answers to before deciding to make a claim, including:

• What are the costs of making a claim for compensation
• The reasons you should or should not make a claim, including protecting other patients
• Whether using a solicitor or a claims company will make a difference to the success of your claim
• The questions you must ask to ensure you choose the right person to help you with your claim

Before you take any further action, take five minutes to read our free guide so that when you do pick up the telephone or fill in an online enquiry form, you know exactly the questions you need to ask to find the right medical negligence claim solicitor for you.

Share This Article With:

• Tweet This
• Delicious
• Digg
• reddit
• Facebook
• StumbleUpon

If you would like 1stClaims’ expert Medical Negligence Solicitors on your side please call us free on 0800 2888 693 or complete our Free Claim Enquiry form now and we will be in touch with you very soon.

Remember, all initial enquiries are completely free of charge and we will investigate all funding options for you.

We are here to help you from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday,
8.30am to 6pm on Saturday and 9am to 6pm on Sundays.

1stClaims is regulated by the Ministry of Justice in respect of regulated claims management activities: Number CRM15909. This registration is recorded on the website www.claimsregulation.gov.uk

“We comply, where applicable, with the SRA Code of Conduct 2011 published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and any solicitor [or registered European lawyer] to whom we may refer you is an independent professional from whom you will receive impartial and confidential advice. You are free to choose another solicitor [or registered European lawyer]"

1stClaims Limited - Registered in England and Wales - Reg. Co. No. 06566866. Registered Office Address: First Floor Offices, 119 Station Road, Nailsea, Bristol BS48 1TA - VAT Reg. No. 938 1976 76