GP Negligence

GPs are often the first port of call for anyone feeling under the weather, and in the majority of cases an excellent standard of care is provided. Unfortunately, however, sometimes GPs do make mistakes. These errors can be of serious detriment to the patient, often causing additional pain and suffering. So if you have experienced problems as a direct result of your GPs negligent treatment, then what exactly can you do about it?

What Is GP Negligence?

GP negligence is a type of medical negligence, but solely involves the actions of a General Practitioner. When a patient visits their GP complaining of feeling unwell, it is expected that the doctor present will assess the patient's symptoms, make an accurate diagnosis, and prescribe the appropriate medication if necessary. If a diagnosis cannot be made, or a GP is uncertain, then a patient should be referred to a specialist for further examination.

If a GP fails to carry out these actions, then he/she has breached their duty of care. This means that a patient has received care that has fallen below an acceptable standard. This may amount to medical negligence, particularly if these actions (or lack of action) have caused a patient to suffer unnecessarily.

Examples Of GP Negligence

Most commonly, cases of GP negligence relate to:-

1. Failure to diagnose
Failure to diagnose can mean that a serious illness went undiagnosed altogether, or was misdiagnosed as a more minor affliction. This is especially frequent in cases where symptoms can be mistaken for something more trivial, such as colorectal cancer, appendicitis, and meningitis. Evidently a failure or delay in diagnosis can have drastic consequences for a patient, as often there is a need for immediate treatment. If this is not provided, a patient's condition may deteriorate as a direct result.

2. Prescribing the wrong medication
GPs must be very careful about what medication should be prescribed to patients. Factors such as allergies, pregnancy, other medications, and side-effects must all be taken into consideration. Otherwise, if the wrong type of medicine is administered a patient could have a serious adverse reaction.

Additionally, other examples of claims made against GPs include:-

Failure to refer a patient to a specialist;
Failure to act upon test results;
Neglecting to advise a patient of possible side effects of treatment/medicine.

Making A Claim Against A GP

If you believe you suffered due to GP negligence, then you should contact a legal expert for more information. A medical negligence solicitor will be able to assess whether or not you have a claim, and can then advise you upon your various options. More often than not, you have only three years to make a claim after your GPs negligent treatment occurred, so do not delay.

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