Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence – No Win No Fee Claims

Woking Walk-In Centre Clinical Negligence Claims Explained

This article explores the justifications and evidence that may be needed for potential Woking walk-in centre medical negligence claims. However, a lot of what you’ll read will be relevant to other areas too. As we continue, we’ll show you what services are available at Woking walk-in centres, scenarios where errors are possible and we’ll also show what amount of compensation could be paid for certain injuries.

As you may have experienced in the past, A&E departments can get very busy at peak times. In an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure on hospitals, NHS walk-in centres have been launched in some parts of the country. These facilities offer many of the same treatments as the hospitals do, and the medical professional who treats you has a duty of care to protect your wellbeing.

Something to be aware of is the fact that claims are only possible if medical negligence leads to an injury or you’re made ill. Therefore, negligence on its own will not entitle you to claim.

For example, you may be able to claim if you suffered for weeks with a broken ankle that was diagnosed as just a sprain, even though your symptoms were clear.

Where negligence does result in suffering, you could claim against a healthcare provider or an individual medical practitioner.

If you are considering making a claim, Legal Expert can help. Our specialist advisors offer a no-obligation review of any claim. They’ll listen to what’s happened, review any supporting evidence and explain your options for free.

If your claim has strong enough grounds to proceed, you might be connected with our medical negligence solicitors. If your case is accepted, they’ll represent you on a No Win No Fee basis. Please call us on 0800 073 8804 to find out more or read on.

Select A Section

• A Guide To Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Claims
• What Is Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence?
• Where To Find Walk-In Clinics In Woking
• When Could You Access Walk-In Medical Services?
• Negligent Care For A Minor Injury
• Negligent Care For A Minor Illness
• Medical Negligence In Sexual Healthcare And Advice
• Negligent Use Of Medications
• Calculating Compensation For Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Cases
• No Win No Fee Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Claims
• Talk To Our Experts
• Related Claims Services

A Guide To Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Claims

Accident & Emergency departments struggle with the volume of patients at times. That’s the reason why walk-in centres were created. These centres allow patients to arrive for treatment without an appointment. Sometimes NHS 111 can refer you to a walk-in centre too.

Where reasonably avoidable mistakes are made during your treatment, it may be possible to start a medical negligence claim for any suffering caused. This might be directed towards the walk-in centre’s operator, a local NHS trust or the medical professional who treated you negligently.

To help you understand what medical negligence is, we’ll provide a lot of examples later on in this guide. In basic terms, though, you may be able to claim for any harm that results from negligence such as prescription errors, failing to refer you for tests or medical misdiagnosis. In cases where other medical professionals would’ve acted without causing the harm you suffered, you could take legal action.

We’ll also look at what services are provided by walk-in centres later on to show how they’re different from GP services. Finally, we’ll supply a medical negligence compensation calculator to help you understand what amount of compensation could be awarded for certain injuries.

Please ensure you begin your claim on time. As with other compensation claims, medical negligence cases have a 3-year time limit. Generally, that period will start from the date you were injured. Otherwise, they can begin later if your condition wasn’t diagnosed right away. This is called the date of knowledge.

Where a child suffers from medical negligence, the 3-year limit doesn’t apply until their 18th birthday. Certain adults can claim on their behalf at any time before the child’s 18th birthday. They’d be known as a litigation friend.

If you have any questions while you’re reading our guide, please use the live chat to get in touch.

What Is Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence?

All medical professionals have a legal duty to protect the well-being of anybody they care for. This includes professionals who work in a hospital, GP surgery, dental practice and a walk-in centre.

This duty of care should allow you to trust any professional who treats you. In many cases, that trust is well-founded and you’ll benefit from excellent medical treatment. However, if you are injured or made ill (or your condition is worsened) because of medical negligence, you could begin legal action to claim compensation.

As with all compensation claims, evidence is needed when seeking damages for clinical negligence. It is needed to show how you’ve suffered or how you’ve lost money and that your suffering was caused directly by medical negligence. To give some idea of why you could claim, here are a few example scenarios:

• When a medication that was clearly too strong was given and you suffer adversely.
• If your condition got worse because you were not referred to a specialist for tests, despite clear symptoms.
• Where your condition was misdiagnosed because a professional didn’t listen to your account of your symptoms, meaning you suffered due to a lack of treatment.
• If you were given the wrong drug or one that your medical notes show you have an allergy to and suffered as a result.

There are more ways negligent treatment could affect you that we’ve not listed here. Therefore, don’t be alarmed if your case is not listed, a claim might still be possible. Please let us know more about your scenario and we’ll review your case for free.

Where To Find Walk-In Clinics In Woking

Some walk-in centres will be newly built with a specific purpose. You’ll find others within GP practices and hospitals. The centre provides treatment similar to hospitals but you shouldn’t attend with life-threatening conditions.

If you are unsure whether to go to A&E or a walk-in centre, it’d be a good idea to contact the NHS 111 service. For your information, here are some walk-in centres offering services in or near to Woking:

• Ashford Hospital.
• Woking Walk-in centre.
• St Peter’s Hospital.
• Kingston Hospital.
• Ealing Hospital.
• Haslemere Minor Injuries Unit.

You could claim for injuries or illnesses that result from medical negligence at any of these centres. We could help you claim if you suffered due to negligence at others not listed here too. Regardless of the walk-in centre’s location, get in touch if you need further advice on how to begin a claim.

When Could You Access Walk-In Medical Services?

Most walk-in centres offer a lot of services that you might normally associate with hospitals. As mentioned before, though, they are not suitable for life-threatening emergencies. Where you can’t be sure which service to use, you could check with NHS 111 online first. Here are a number of the services provided by walk-in centres according to the NHS:

• Head injuries (minor).
• Emergency contraception.
• Stings and bites.
• Vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea.
• Stomach pains.
• Minor scalds or burns.
• Sprains or strains.
• Colds and coughs.
• Throat and ear infections.
• Suspected fractured limbs.
• High temperature (fever).
• Minor soft tissue injuries (cuts and bruises).
• Eye problems.
• Rashes and skin infections.

If you’ve been on the receiving end of medical negligence for any of the conditions listed above, you may be able to claim compensation for any harm caused.

This guide about Woking walk-in centre medical negligence aims to provide information to help you. However, if you need to talk to someone, why not use live chat to ask our advisors for free legal advice?

Negligent Care For A Minor Injury

It is important to note that most treatment at walk-in centres is successful. Cases where negligence is involved, though, are the ones that could lead to a compensation claim. Here are some examples of clinical negligence during minor injury treatment that could lead to a claim:

• Failure to refer to a specialist. In many cases, it is a good idea to send patients with certain symptoms for additional tests like X-rays. Where that doesn’t happen, you could claim if it means you suffer more.
• Incorrect diagnosis. Similarly, if a doctor diagnoses that you’ve suffered a bruised elbow when it is in fact clearly broken, you may be able to seek damages for the extra pain and any additional damage that results.
• Medication mistakes. If the wrong medication is prescribed or dispensed, you might suffer as a result. For example, if you are given a dosage that is too high considering your injury, it could result in you suffering serious adverse side effects.

Where you believe you have suffered due to negligent treatment of a minor injury, we’ll assess your claim for free. There’s no pressure to make a claim as our advisors will provide free legal advice regardless.

Negligent Care For A Minor Illness

Many less serious illnesses and infections can also be treated by walk-in centre staff. Again, most patients will be treated without a problem and their illness will be cured. However, if reasonably avoidable errors are made during treatment, a claim might be allowed if they result in suffering. For example, you could claim for:

• Issuing the wrong medication. This could mean your underlying illness isn’t treated. If that happens, symptoms could worsen and you could suffer more.
• Failing to send for tests. It is quite normal for symptoms to be linked to multiple conditions. However, sometimes symptoms clearly indicate a certain illness that requires testing to diagnose. If your symptoms were clear but testing didn’t happen, and a condition such as cancer got worse, you could be eligible to begin a claim for any additional problems.
• Misdiagnosis of an illness. A misdiagnosed illness might not cause problems at all. However, you could claim if your condition is wrongly diagnosed and caused you to suffer more than you would have otherwise.

Medical negligence cases can be tricky to prove. We believe your best chance of winning compensation is by having a medical negligence lawyer on your side. They should be able to use their skills to try and ensure enough evidence is available to support your claim. If you would like us to check if our solicitors could be appointed to your case, please get in touch.

Medical Negligence In Sexual Healthcare And Advice

Another important role of walk-in centres is to provide treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Claims might be possible if suffering is caused because:

• You were not sent for specialist testing despite having clear symptoms of certain conditions like HIV.
• Your STI was unreasonably diagnosed incorrectly and resulted in you suffering as you wouldn’t have had it been checked.
• The wrong medication was given to treat your condition, meaning that it got worse.

We can help you begin a claim for medical negligence during sexual health or family planning treatment. Please call to explain your case and we’ll review your options for free.

Negligent Use Of Medications

The UK has a very good supply of prescription medications. It makes treating patients a lot easier and means illnesses can be resolved quickly. Generally, the prescribing or dispensing of medicines can be straightforward. However mistakes can happen and, if they result in problems for the patient, could lead to a claim. A few examples of this include:

• Errors in dosage. It is important that the correct dosage of a drug is given. If it’s not, the patient could suffer an adverse reaction to drugs that are too strong. Alternatively, their illness could be prolonged if the dose is too weak.
• Mixing of medication. Where a patient is already taking prescription medication, the doctor should check that anything else they prescribe won’t conflict. If they fail to do so, and you are made ill as a result, a claim could be started.
• Allergic reactions to drugs. Some people have known allergies recorded on their medical notes. Doctors should therefore check this before prescribing a new medicine. If they don’t, and their mistake causes an allergic reaction, it might be possible to begin a claim.
• Dispensing errors. Finally, if a pharmacist dispenses something different to what is listed on a prescription, a patient could suffer. Therefore, this could entitle the patient to start legal proceedings. 

To support a claim of suffering caused by medication errors, we’d suggest that it’s a good idea to keep any packaging. Also, where possible, you should keep hold of a copy of the prescription too. If you would like us to check the evidence you have to support your claim, please contact us today.

Calculating Compensation For Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Cases

We are going to move on to look at the amount of compensation that could potentially be paid for injuries resulting from medical negligence. Usually, you will begin your case by making a general damages claim. This concentrates on the harm caused by physical or psychological injuries that result from medical negligence.

In these cases, courts, legal professionals and insurers turn to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to help determine compensation levels. The JCG is a publication that contains recommended figures for potential compensation awards for certain injuries.

Therefore, we’ve referred to it when creating our compensation table below. We haven’t included all possible injuries within our table. Therefore, don’t be concerned if your injury is not shown – you could still contact us to find out how your injury may be valued.

The extent of your injuries is something you’ll need to prove during your claim. You’ll also need to prove that they were caused or worsened by medical negligence. To help with this, a medical assessment would form part of your claim. Usually, our solicitors can arrange one locally for you so that you don’t need to travel too far.

An independent medical expert would carry out your assessment to try to determine what level of suffering has occurred and whether any symptoms will continue in the future. They will try to do so by asking questions, examining you and looking through any medical records.

Once they’ve concluded the meeting, they’ll write a report to explain your symptoms and to provide a prognosis as well. Your solicitor could use this report to help value your injuries.

Although our table shows a few example figures, you could let our advisors review your case for free. By doing so, they could provide you with a more accurate and personal compensation estimate.

Claiming for costs and financial losses

As well as being compensated for your injuries, you might need to claim for any out of pocket expenses linked to your injuries. This is known as a special damages claim. Each claim differs from the next. Therefore, what can be included will vary. However, special damages claims can consist of:

• Loss of income. Should you need time off work because of your injuries, you could lose some or all of your income. This could be caused by recovery time or because of medical appointments. Therefore, it may be possible to claim back any lost income.
• Medical expenses. While you will normally receive remedial treatment for free, some expenses can still rack up. For example, prescription fees, over the counter medication costs or non-NHS services could all cost you money. As a result, these could be added to the value of your claim.
• Care costs. Some people will require support with daily activities while they recover. Therefore, they could add an hourly rate to their claim that covers the time a loved one supported them. In more serious cases, a professional carer’s fees could be claimed back.
• Travel costs. You may also be able to claim back any travel costs caused by your injuries. This might cover fuel costs, public transport fares or parking fees associated with medical appointments.
• Adaptations to your home or vehicle. Where medical negligence results in you becoming disabled, making changes to your home or vehicle could make life a little easier. For example, adding a ramp to the entrance of your home could make wheelchair access easier. The cost of these changes might be added to your special damages claim.
• Future lost earnings. Finally, where your ability to work suffers because of your injuries, you could claim for future lost income too.

No Win No Fee Woking Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Claims

Something that might put you off from starting a claim is the fear of losing money to solicitor’s fees even if your case loses. We could help to reduce that worry as our solicitors provide a No Win No Fee service for any claims they accept. You’ll still be represented by a legal professional but you wouldn’t have to pay any solicitor fees if the claim loses.

We can’t offer this service in all situations though. There needs to be a reasonable chance of success in your case before a solicitor will accept it. If your case is taken on after it has been reviewed, your solicitor will draft a Conditional Fee Agreement (the formal term for a No Win No Fee agreement) for you. This contract will explain under what conditions you’d pay for your solicitor’s work. Essentially, you’d only pay them their fee if you receive compensation because your case is won.

If that happens, a success fee will be deducted from your compensation. This is a small percentage that’s listed in the No Win No Fee agreement for clarity. Importantly, such fees are capped legally to prevent overcharging.

Talk To Our Experts

If you are ready to start a medical negligence claim, you could:

• • Speak to an advisor on our free claims line. The number is 0800 073 8804.
  • Email details of your claim to info@legalexpert.co.uk
  • Use our online claim form to request a callback.
  • Use the live chat to seek free advice on your claim options.

Related Claims Services

Please find a list of resources below that could help with your claim.

Woking Walk-in Centre Inspection – An inspection report from the Care Quality Commission about the local walk-in centre.

GP Services – Advice from the NHS on registering with a GP and the services they provide.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman – The body you could escalate NHS medical negligence complaints to.

Misdiagnosis Compensation – Advice on why you could seek compensation following a misdiagnosis.

Hospital Negligence – We explain what types of negligence could entitle you to start a claim.

GP Claims – This article looks at why you may want to claim against a GP following negligence.

Other Guides Available To Read

• Knee Surgery Gone Wrong Claims Guide
• Rotavirus Compensation Claims Explained
• Liverpool Walk-In Centre Medical Negligence Claims
• Spire Healthcare Negligence Claims Guide

Thanks for reading our guide on Woking walk-in centre medical negligence claims.

Written by Hambridge

Edited by Victorine