Hospital Negligence Solicitors in Greater Manchester
When you enter a hospital, you place your trust in an entire system of care. But what happens when that system fails you? At Garratts Solicitors, our hospital negligence specialists understand the unique challenges of pursuing claims against these complex healthcare environments.
For a free, confidential discussion about your hospital experience, call us on 0161 665 350, send an email to [email protected], or complete our contact form.
What is Hospital Negligence?
Hospital negligence differs from general clinical negligence in several important ways. It often involves multiple healthcare professionals, departmental handovers, and complex institutional protocols that can break down at various points.
Many hospital errors occur not from individual negligence but from systemic failures including:
- Communication breakdowns between departments
- Inadequate staffing levels during peak periods
- Protocol failures during patient transfers
- Administrative errors in test result management
- Cross-contamination issues unique to hospital environments
Common Hospital Negligence Scenarios
Emergency Department Failures
Emergency departments present unique risks due to their fast-paced nature and high-pressure environment:
- Triage errors resulting in delayed treatment of serious conditions
- Premature discharge of patients with developing symptoms
- Failure to order appropriate diagnostic tests
- Inadequate monitoring of patients awaiting admission
- Medication errors during emergency treatment
Ward-Based Negligence
The general hospital ward is where many patients spend most of their hospital stay, yet it's also where fundamental care failures often occur:
- Development of avoidable pressure ulcers
- Falls due to inadequate risk assessment or supervision
- Medication administration errors
- Failure to monitor vital signs at appropriate intervals
- Inadequate nutrition and hydration
- Cross-infection due to poor hygiene practices
Hospital-Specific Insight: Ward staffing ratios directly impact patient safety. In successful claims, we often demonstrate how understaffing contributed to care failures, particularly during night shifts and weekends.
Surgical Complications
Surgical errors in hospital settings can have devastating consequences:
- Wrong-site surgery
- Retained surgical instruments
- Anaesthetic complications
- Post-operative infection due to inadequate sterilisation
- Failure to obtain proper informed consent
- Inadequate post-operative monitoring
Unlike outpatient procedures, hospital surgeries often involve multiple teams working together, creating additional opportunities for communication failures.
Hospital-Acquired Infections
Hospital environments harbour unique infection risks:
- MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- C. difficile outbreaks
- Surgical site infections
- Ventilator-associated pneumonia
- Catheter-related bloodstream infections
Our infection negligence claims focus on demonstrating breaches in infection control protocols rather than simply the presence of infection. We've successfully argued cases where infection rates on specific wards significantly exceeded acceptable benchmarks.
NHS vs. Private Hospital Claims: Key Differences
Claims against NHS hospitals are handled through NHS Resolution, while private hospital claims may involve both the hospital and individual consultants. This creates important differences in how your claim proceeds:
NHS Hospital Claims
- Who you claim against: NHS Trust via NHS Resolution
- Funding source: Dedicated NHS compensation budget
- Protocol: Pre-Action Protocol for the Resolution of Clinical Disputes Clinical Disputes
- Timeframes: Often slower due to bureaucracy
- Contributory factors: Often includes systemic issues
Private Hospital Claims
- Who you claim against: Hospital and/or individual consultants and sometimes limited companies
- Funding source: Hospital and/or consultant insurance
- Protocol: Pre-Action Protocol for the Resolution of Clinical Disputes Clinical Disputes
- Timeframes: Can be quicker but may involve multiple defendants
- Contributory factors: May focus more on individual practice
Our hospital negligence team has extensive experience with both systems, ensuring your claim follows the most appropriate pathway regardless of where your treatment occurred.
The Hospital Complaints Process and Legal Claims
Many clients ask whether they should complain to the hospital before pursuing legal action. The hospital complaints process can be valuable for:
- Obtaining early explanations about what happened
- Securing an apology when appropriate
- Highlighting issues that need immediate correction
- Gathering additional documentation about your care
However, the complaints process has limitations and won't provide compensation for injuries sustained. We can advise on managing both processes simultaneously to strengthen your position.
Building Your Hospital Negligence Claim
Successful hospital negligence claims require proving that:
- The hospital care fell below acceptable Bolam test standards
- This substandard care directly caused your injuries
Our approach includes:
- A comprehensive review of all hospital records
- Expert analysis by independent medical specialists
- Identification of specific protocol breaches
- Assessment of all resulting damages and future needs
Hospital claims often involve multiple specialities and departments. Our team has developed relationships with leading experts across all medical fields who can properly assess what went wrong with your care.
Compensation for Hospital Negligence
Compensation for hospital negligence is calculated based on:
General Damages - For pain, suffering and loss of amenity, the amounts awarded vary greatly and depend upon the case's circumstances.
Special Damages - For financial losses:
- Lost earnings (past and future)
- Additional medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Care costs (professional or family-provided)
- Home adaptations and specialist equipment
- Travel expenses for medical appointments
Hospital negligence often results in extended recovery periods compared to the original condition, with compensation reflecting this additional suffering and financial impact.
Time Limits for Hospital Negligence Claims
Legal proceedings must begin within three years of either:
- The date of the negligent hospital treatment, or
- The date of your knowledge of the negligent hospital treatment
Important exceptions apply for:
- Children (time limit starts on 18th birthday)
- Adults lacking mental capacity (potentially no time limit)
- Fatal cases (three years from date of death)
Don't assume it's too late without consulting us. We've successfully pursued claims that initially appeared to be out of time, particularly where patients didn't immediately connect ongoing health problems with previous hospital errors.
Recent Hospital Negligence Success Story
Case Study: Fall During Recovery
In April 2025, we secured £3,500 compensation for Mr. H, who brought a claim on behalf of his mother's estate. She suffered a fall when negligently placed on a continence pad on a chair during hip surgery recovery. The fall necessitated revision surgery, from which she never recovered. Our nursing and physician experts identified clear negligence that contributed to her death.
