Is there a difference between medical negligence and clinical negligence? On this page, we address the clinical negligence vs medical negligence debate and clear things up once and for all!
Is There a Difference Between Medical Negligence and Clinical Negligence?
What is medical negligence?
Medical negligence refers to when a medical professional carries out substandard care, resulting in an adverse impact on the patient, such as an injury or worsening of an existing condition. If you have suffered medical negligence, you can make a specific claim, whether this is for mistakes in surgery, delayed diagnosis, prescription errors, or anything else.
Find out more in our medical negligence guide.
What is clinical negligence?
Essentially, clinical negligence is no different from medical negligence and both terms are often used to refer to the same thing: a healthcare professional failing to meet the required standard of care, resulting in harm or injury. Despite this, the word ‘clinical’ is more wide-ranging in terms of different types of care.
The clinical duty of care applies to more than just medical services provided by qualified doctors and nurses. For example, residential care, care for those suffering from drug and alcohol misuse, mental health social workers, cosmetic procedures, slimming clinics, and pregnancy terminations. There is a broad definition of ‘health care worker’, including, for example, dentists, biomedical and clinical scientists, paramedics, and radiographers.
For many years, lawyers only referred to ‘medical negligence’. However, various organisations, such as the Law Society, have replaced the term medical negligence with clinical negligence.
The Law Society receives applications from solicitors and decides whether they are suitably experienced to be given specialist status in the area of medical litigation. If approved, they are included as members of the “Clinical Negligence Accreditation Panel.”
Our Director, Caroline Moore, has been a Law Society Clinical Accreditation Scheme member since 1999. We also have other lawyers who are members of this claimed Accreditation Scheme.
When Can You Claim for Medical or Clinical Negligence?
Medical or clinical negligence claims are where a patient says that those who have cared for them have let them down and caused an injury. If so, then compensation can be claimed.
Various things have to apply for a medical or clinical negligence claim to be successful. You have to show that someone did owe you a duty of care, that they failed to provide a reasonable standard of care, and that any such failure caused you harm/injury. Your medical condition may have worsened, or you may have suffered a new one.
Find out more about how we can assist with your medical negligence claim, or take a look at our medical negligence compensation FAQs.
Contact Our Team to Make a Negligence Claim
Our friendly team of specialist lawyers at Medical Solicitors helps people who have suffered from negligent medical treatment. Compensation can be claimed where care has fallen below a reasonable standard due to medical negligence.
Do contact us today to start a conversation about your potential claim, or browse our help and advice pages. We conduct most of our clinical and medical negligence claims under Conditional Fee Agreements, so you do not have to worry about how you will afford to bring a claim. You have nothing to lose in speaking to us. You will have our full support and attention.