Do I need a solicitor from England or Wales?

Yes, absolutely, you need a solicitor from England or Wales! This is for various reasons, the most basic point being that it will be an English and Welsh court that will have jurisdiction over your claim, not your home court on the Channel Islands.

In addition, clinical negligence claims can be very costly. Only a solicitor from England or Wales can offer Conditional Fee Agreements (no win, no fee). In fact, Conditional Fee Agreements are banned on the Channel Islands, which is a shame, as these agreements have been in use for a long time in the England and Wales and are very useful. ‘No win, no fee’ allows a lot of deserving and vulnerable patients access to justice in the England and Wales jurisdiction, without the worry of a huge legal bill to pay.

Caroline Moore, our Director, regularly visits Guernsey, as she has family there, so a home visit may be arranged, on the Channel Islands, at an appropriate stage in the case. A lot of progress can initially be achieved with friendly telephone advice and support.

Medical Solicitors acts for patients all over England and Wales, as well as the Channel Islands, and all members of our team take pride in keeping clients regularly informed and creating a relationship of trust and confidence. We consider this to be highly important where patients have been let down by a professional in the healthcare sector.

How do I complain about Care in England or Wales?

Of course, it is commonplace now for patients on the Channels Islands to travel to England or Wales for specialist medical care. Happily, most patients return home much better for their care. However, if you have found no benefit and your condition has not improved or has worsened, you may need help and advice about the complaints procedure in England and Wales. In the complaints process, we can help you to get answers about what went wrong, and why, and what steps can be taken to try to improve your health and, hopefully, to prevent the complications happening to someone else.

Poor medical care can have serious consequences, in terms of your ability to cope with day to day life and even financial hardship for you and perhaps also your family.

Contact our friendly team, who will be happy to guide you through the process, or to advise you if you have already made a complaint and had a response from the healthcare provider. We can look at the complaints correspondence and advise you on whether a claim in medical negligence should be investigated. We advise free of charge about the complaints process and we also screen potential medical negligence claims free of charge. Should we advise that a claim be investigated then we do this for all of our clients under Conditional Fee Agreements (no win, no fee).

For more in-depth guidance on the complaints procedure for Channel Island Patients in England and Wales, see our help guide.

Can any law firm from England or Wales help me with a medical claim?

No, absolutely not! There are plenty of law firms that dabble in medical claims, but they often do a poor job. We are often consulted by potential clients who have not had a positive experience with a non-specialist firm. We are in the process of ‘rescuing’ a few such cases for clients presently.

Medical Solicitors is a truly niche law firm, specialising solely in the highly specialist clinical negligence field. Caroline Moore, the Director, is accredited by the Law Society of England & Wales as a specialist in her field. She has developed her specialism in this field since 1993 and has gathered a friendly, specialist team of solicitors, legal executives and litigation assistants.

Medical Solicitors has an extensive register of medical experts. It is crucial to instruct a specialist practice with such resources, as the right choice of medical expert is critical in a medical negligence claim. Because of our reputation, a lot of our experts kindly help, free of charge, with the screening of new cases, if matters are complex and we need an early indication from a medical expert.

Medical Solicitors also has a register of specialist barristers (also called Counsel) as, in England and Wales, solicitors and barristers work together, rather than the process on the Channel Islands where there are Advocates who take up the combined role of both a solicitor and a barrister.

Unhappy with your care In the Channel Islands?

Medical Solicitors advises in cases about care provided within the England and Wales Jurisdiction. We cannot assist with cases about care provided on the Channel Islands. However, we can point you in the right direction for more advice and support:

If you're based in Guernsey, you can find a list of Guernsey law firms from the Guernsey Bar by visiting the Guernsey Bar website. Additionally, for Jersey, you can use the 'Lawyer Search' tool provided by the Jersey Law Society.