Blood Clot Compensation: Can You Claim for DVT or Pulmonary Embolism?

Last Updated 10th March 2026. A blood clot is a serious and potentially threatening condition. If you have suffered harm because a medical professional failed to diagnose or properly treat you, you could be entitled to blood clot compensation.

We’ll examine important topics, such as eligibility to claim for medical negligence, explore examples of a negligently treated or diagnosed blood clot that can cause you to suffer and how you can use a blood clot compensation calculator to help you estimate what you could be entitled to following a successful claim.

We’ve also provided a list of guideline compensation figures for your reference. Towards the end of the guide, we look at how our highly experienced medical negligence solicitors could help you claim compensation with the specific type of No Win No Fee contract that they offer.

To learn more about the medical negligence claims process or to get a free assessment of your eligibility, contact our advisors today using the contact information provided in this article.

 

Can You Claim Compensation For A Blood Clot?

If you are harmed by an injury or illness following a blood clot, then you may be eligible to claim for medical negligence if you can establish the following:

• A medical professional who you received treatment from breached the duty of care which they owed you.
• This breach caused or aggravated the blood clot, which has led to your suffering.

All patients are owed a duty of care by the medical professionals who provide treatment to them. As part of their duty, these professionals should provide a minimum standard of care and prevent their patients from coming to unnecessary harm.

When Is A Blood Clot Considered Medical Negligence?

A blood clot is considered medical negligence if a healthcare professional fails to properly assess, diagnose, or treat a patient, thereby falling below the required standard of care and causing avoidable harm. You can see several scenarios below where blood clot claims could arise:

• A healthcare professional at A&E fails to recognise clear symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in a patient presenting with sudden swelling, redness, and pain in one leg. This delay allows the clot to reach the lungs, resulting in a pulmonary embolism.
• Following major surgery, a patient is left bedridden for several weeks. Despite this, hospital staff fail to provide them with compression stockings or anticoagulants, causing the patient to develop DVT in both legs.
• After a long-haul flight, a patient goes to their GP with severe, throbbing pain in the thigh. The GP misdiagnoses the pulmonary embolism as an anxiety attack, allowing the patient’s condition to worsen and result in long-term respiratory issues.
• A doctor fails to follow relevant guidelines by not identifying that a pregnant patient has high-risk factors of blood clots, including a history of clotting and a high BMI. Due to this oversight, the doctor fails to prescribe preventative blood thinners, resulting in the patient’s development of DVT.

The above list is not exhaustive, as many forms of negligence can occur in cases involving blood clots. To discuss your experience with one of our friendly advisors and to see whether you have grounds to pursue pulmonary embolism compensation, please feel free to contact our team today.

Evidence To Help Claim Blood Clot Compensation

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) compensation claims, as with any claim, must be supported with evidence. This needs to show liability for the blood clots.

If you are claiming pulmonary embolism compensation, you could submit:

• Results from any scans that showed that the blood clots were missed.
• Prescriptions and medication packaging, if your blood clots were linked to this, despite being at high risk of developing them.
• Correspondence between you and the healthcare facility, such as a response to a complaint you made about your treatment.
• A copy of your hospital records or patient bedside folder.
• Photographs if you had visible signs of a blood clot, such as leg swelling or red and discoloured skin.

These are only a few examples of items that you might have that could support a claim for blood clot compensation. If you call one of our advisors, they can discuss the exact circumstances of your case as part of your free consultation. They can give you further advice about evidence.

Blood Clot Compensation Calculator

In successful blood clot claims, 2 heads of claim could potentially make up the blood clot compensation value: General and special damages.

General damages compensate for the physical and psychological effects, whereas special damages consider the associated financial impact. Legal professionals can use your medical evidence alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help them calculate your general damages. 

The JCG is a document containing guidelines for compensation brackets, paired with various types of physical and psychological harm.

Compensation

In the list below, you can find some different types of harm, together with their guideline compensation brackets. These have been taken from the JCG (except for the top row). Please bear in mind that the brackets shown are not guaranteed. Each case is assessed according to the individual circumstances, so don’t worry if the harm you have suffered is not listed here:

• Multiple instances of very serious harm in addition to significant special damages, such as lost income, care needs, and medical bills – up to £1,000,000 or more.
• Paraplegia – £267,340 to £346,890.
• Moderately severe brain damage – £267,340 and £344,150.
• Moderate brain damage (ii) – £110,720 to £183,190.
• Less severe brain damage – £18,700 to £52,550.
• Above-knee amputation of 1 leg – £127,930 to £167,760
• Below-knee amputation of 1 leg – £119,570 to £162,290.
• Established Grand Mal – £124,470 and £183,190.
• Established Petit Mal – £66,920 to £160,360.

You could potentially use our blood clot compensation calculator to get a value of your potential claim, or get in touch with our advisors for a more personalised estimate at any time.

Special Damages

Special damages compensate for the financial losses that have resulted from medical negligence. This can include:

• Loss of earnings for needing time off work to recover from your avoidable harm. 
• Professional and domestic care costs. 
• Travel expenses from attending medical appointments. 

Unlike general damages, special damages are not awarded in all successful blood clot claims. For this reason, you must have evidence of your financial losses, such as receipts, payslips, invoices, and bank statements. 

Please contact us today to learn more about how successful DVT compensation claims are calculated.

What’s The Time Limit For Claiming Blood Clot Compensation?

The time limit to claim blood clot compensation is typically 3 years, as per the Limitation Act 1980. These 3 years commence from either:

• The date medical negligence occurred. 
• The date it was known that medical negligence occurred (this is called the date of knowledge).

However, the following individuals are unable to begin a claim for themselves:

• Those who are younger than 18. 
• Those who are lacking their full mental capacity. 

In these cases, the DVT compensation claims time limit will be paused. 

While the time limit is paused, someone who knows the claimant, such as a family member, can step in as the claimant’s litigation friend and begin a claim on their behalf. 

If a litigation friend has not started a claim by the time the claimant either:

• Turns 18. 
• Recovers their full mental capacity. 

Then the standard 3-year time limit will commence for the claimant, either from their 18th birthday date or date of mental recovery. 

Please contact us as soon as possible to ensure that you begin the claim for blood clot compensation within the time limit. We can also provide you with more information about becoming someone’s litigation friend.

How Long Could It Take To Claim Blood Clot Compensation?

The length of time it takes to claim blood clot compensation will depend on the individual circumstances of your case. Since each medical negligence claim is unique by nature, they will follow their own course rather than a set universal timeline.

Nevertheless, the time scale for blood clot claims can be impacted by:

• Liability – In some cases, the defendant accepts liability in the early stages. However, that is not always the case, and your case may need additional evidence to establish their responsibility.
• Evidence – Some forms of evidence may take longer to access than others. For instance, a Bolam test requires a panel of medical experts to offer their opinion on whether medical negligence occurred.
• Medical assessment – Calculating compensation for blood clots can be a time-consuming process, especially if a claimant is still receiving treatment. This can delay an evaluation of their condition and, therefore, make the prognosis unclear.
• Negotiations – Most cases are settled out of court, but there are rare instances where that is not the case. For example, the 2 parties may not be able to agree on how much compensation is appropriate. If no settlement can be reached in such a scenario, then the case may need to go to court. 

Our helpful advisors are available 24/7 to further explain the process and answer questions like ‘Can I claim compensation for blood clots?’. Contact them today for free advice with no strings attached.

No Win No Fee Blood Clot Compensation Claims

One of our solicitors could help you start a medical negligence claim for blood clot compensation with the help of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), which is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement. Working with a solicitor under a CFA means that you can access their legal services without paying any ongoing or upfront fees. You also won’t be required to pay these solicitor fees if you don’t win compensation.

The only fee your medical negligence solicitor will take is a success fee if your claim wins. This is a legislatively capped percentage of your compensation and is payment for the work done on the case.

Alongside this, working with a solicitor comes with many benefits. For example, an important part of the blood clot compensation claims process is collecting evidence. A solicitor can help you with this. Similarly, solicitors can give you more tailored guidance on payouts, which means you won’t need to rely on a blood clot compensation calculator.

To find out how one of our solicitors could help you with your claim for blood clot compensation, contact our team of advisors today:

• Call on 0800 073 8804
• Complete our contact us form.
• Use the live chat feature

Frequently Asked Questions:

To learn more about blood clot claims, please see some common questions and answers below. For further help and assistance, please get in touch with one of our advisors today.

What Harm Can A Blood Clot Cause?

Blood clots can cause serious, life-threatening harm if they obstruct blood flow to essential organs, which may result in heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Can You Claim If A Blood Clot Was Fatal?

Yes, you could claim if a blood clot was fatal, provided that it can be shown that negligent care resulted in your loved one’s death. The estate of the deceased and qualifying dependants can seek compensation, but specific rules apply, which one of our advisors can explain in detail. 

Is DVT Always Considered Medical Negligence?

DVT is not always considered medical negligence, as it can occur naturally due to immobility, certain cancers, or pregnancy. An example of negligence might involve hospital staff failing to provide compression stockings to an immobile patient recovering from hip surgery, resulting in the condition developing.

What If Symptoms Were Ignored By My GP?

If clear symptoms of a blood clot were ignored by your GP, such as DVT being mistaken for a muscle tear, you may be able to pursue compensation for any avoidable harm this caused. You could also file a complaint and request a different GP (or move to another surgery entirely).

Can I Claim For Long-Term Disability After A Clot?

You can claim for a long-term disability after a blood clot, such as post-thrombotic syndrome (PVS) or mobility issues, if you can demonstrate that it resulted from the unnecessary harm you suffered due to substandard care.

Can I Claim For A Stroke Caused By A Clot?

Yes, you could claim for a stroke caused by a blood clot if you can demonstrate that the condition arose because you received negligent care. This might involve a GP misreading test results, leading them to prematurely end a prescription for blood thinners.

To learn if you could be eligible to claim blood clot compensation, please get in touch today.

Helpful Links

Some helpful links:

• NHS overview of DVT
• See our guide to birth injury claims
• Learn about surgical error claims

Thanks for reading our blood clot compensation claims guide.