By Danielle Griffin. Last Updated 2nd November 2023. Welcome to our guide on private and NHS misdiagnosis claims, which answers the question of ‘how much compensation for misdiagnosis in the UK could I get?’. If you’re wondering how to go about making medical negligence claims for misdiagnosis compensation. this medical misdiagnosis claims page is for you.

It answers common questions people could ask about claims for misdiagnosis, whether you’re claiming compensation for misdiagnosis from a GP, misdiagnosis from a hospital, or another medical provider.

In this guide, we have compiled a large quantity of factual and relevant information to discuss medical negligence and specifically medical misdiagnosis claims.

We shall discuss the misdiagnosis compensation claims process, medical negligence, how much compensation for a medical negligence misdiagnosis claim you could receive, how much compensation for misdiagnosis of cancer, and how our team could assist you in suing for a misdiagnosis.

Medical Misdiagnosis Claims Explained

Contact us today to get started by:

• Calling us on 0800 073 8801
• Using the live chat feature
• Contacting us online

Select a section

1. When Am I Eligible To Claim For A Medical Misdiagnosis?
2. Which Types Of Misdiagnosis Claims Could I Make?
3. Time Limits For A Medical Misdiagnosis Claim
4. How To Prove A Claim For Misdiagnosis
5. Compensation For Misdiagnosis – Use A Misdiagnosis Compensation Calculator
6. How To Claim For A Misdiagnosis On A No Win No Fee Basis

When Am I Eligible To Claim For A Medical Misdiagnosis?

All medical professionals owe their patients a duty of care. Per this duty, they must provide their patients with the correct standard of care. This includes taking your symptoms seriously, and assessing any medication you are currently taking before prescribing new ones.

To be eligible to make a medical negligence claim for a misdiagnosis, you would need to prove:

1. A medical professional owed you a duty of care.
2. They breached this duty.
3. Due to this breach, you suffered unnecessary harm.

There are various ways a medical misdiagnosis could occur. For example, if you visit your GP with a lump in your breast, and fail to send you for further testing, they may misdiagnose your breast cancer as swollen nymph nodes. This could cause the cancer to progress, and you may need more aggressive treatment.

It is important to note, that there may be some instances where you receive a misdiagnosis but a medical professional did not breach their duty of care. In this instance, you might not be able to make a claim for compensation.

One way to find out if you’d be eligible to claim misdiagnosis compensation  is to call an advisor. They could check this for you, free of charge.

Which Types Of Misdiagnosis Claims Could I Make?

There are many different types of misdiagnosis claims, yet they can largely be categorised into three categories. These are as follows:

1. Incorrect diagnosis – This is when the individual has been misdiagnosed with the incorrect illness. This could mean that the person ends up receiving the incorrect treatment, which could be even more harmful. Moreover, you could end up experiencing anxiety because you have been told that you have a serious illness when you do not. Whenever claiming, psychological injuries can also be claimed.
2. Late diagnosis – We have handled many late or misdiagnosis compensation claims over the years. This could mean that your recovery time and survival chances are impacted and that you experience your health condition for a longer period than is necessary.
3. Failure to diagnose – This is when a person’s condition has been completely missed altogether, and so they do not get any treatment. This often results in the condition deteriorating. In some cases, an individual can suffer an untimely death because they have been suffering from a condition, and they have been none the wiser, meaning they do not get the treatment they need.

Whether you suffered a commonly misdiagnosed injury or illness, if it led to delays in treatment, worsened your condition or caused you undue pain, we could help you start your claim for compensation.

Time Limits For A Medical Misdiagnosis Claim

Those with strong grounds to claim compensation for a medical misdiagnosis should be aware that there is a time limit for starting proceedings. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out that you will have three years to start a medical misdiagnosis claim. Depending on the circumstances, this time limit may start from the date you suffered harm. Alternatively, the time limit may start from the date of knowledge. This is when you first connected the harm you experienced with negligence.

The time limit for claiming misdiagnosis compensation can work differently under certain circumstances. If, for instance, a child has been harmed by a medical misdiagnosis, then the time limit is put on hold until their 18th birthday. A claim could be made on the child’s behalf by a court-appointed litigation friend prior to this date. However, if a claim isn’t made before the child’s 18th birthday, then they will have three years to start their own claim from that date.

If the harmed party lacks the mental capacity to make their own medical negligence claim, then the time limit is suspended indefinitely. A litigation friend could make a claim on their behalf. If, however, the party harmed by a misdiagnosis later regains sufficient mental capacity, and a claim hasn’t already been made, then they will have three years to make a claim, starting from the date of their recovery.

Contact our advisors online or on the phone today for more advice about the time limit for your potential medical misdiagnosis claim.

How To Prove A Claim For Misdiagnosis

All claims for misdiagnosis must be supported with sufficient evidence. This needs to prove that you suffered unnecessary harm as a result of a medical professional breaching their duty of care. 

Some examples of evidence that could be helpful in a misdiagnosis claim can include:

• A copy of your medical records: These can illustrate the treatment you received and how it affected you.
• Witness contact information: For example, if you brought a friend or family member to the appointment with you, keeping their details means that a professional can take their statement at a later date.
• Test results: For example, if your test results were misread, these could be used as evidence in your claim. This could include blood tests, x-rays, and others.

Your claim may also be put to the Bolam test. In this case, a panel of experts in the relevant field will evaluate the actions of the professional who treated you, and judge whether or not they amount to negligence. 

An advisor from our team can discuss what evidence you could submit if you are seeking compensation for misdiagnosis. 

Compensation For Misdiagnosis – Use A Misdiagnosis Compensation Calculator

If you’ve experienced medical negligence and have been harmed as a result, you may have grounds to claim compensation for misdiagnosis.

Claims for misdiagnosis could comprise of both general damages and special damages. General damages will address the pain and suffering caused by your injury. On the other hand, special damages will aims to help you recover financial losses due to your injury. Costs that can be claimed as special damages include:

• Travel costs
• Prescription costs
• Care costs
• Loss of earnings
• Future loss of income

Your compensation for misdiagnosis will depend on the severity and impact of your injury. Solicitors also use compensation amounts from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) while valuing claims.

Compensation table

The compensation amounts below are taken from the April 2022 edition of the JCG. You could use the compensation table as a misdiagnosis compensation calculator to calculate what your claim may be worth. However, the amounts shown are not guaranteed.

Injury	Notes	Compensation Guidelines
Multiple injuries or illnesses plus special damages	Causing significant financial loss, pain and suffering.	Up to £250,000+
Kidney (a)	Permanent and serious damage or loss of both kidneys.	£169,400 to £210,400
Kidney (c)	Loss of one kidney with the other suffering no damage.	£30,770 to £44,880
Bowels (a)	Cases of double incontinence with complete loss of natural bowel and urinary function and control with other medical complications.	Up to £184,200
Bowels (b)	Complete loss of natural function with the person depending on a colostomy depending on their age.	Up to £150,110
Bladder (a)	A complete loss of the natural urinary and bowel function with double incontinence and other medical complications.	Up to £184,200
Bladder (b)	A total loss of the control and function of the bladder.	Up to £140,660
Lung Disease (a)	A young person with a serious disability where there is the possibility of progressive worsening leading to a premature death.	£100, 670 to £135,920
Lung Disease (b)	Lung cancer causing severe pain and impaired quality of life and lung function in an older person.	£70,030 to £97,330

How To Claim For A Misdiagnosis On A No Win No Fee Basis

Do  you want to make a claim for misdiagnosis compensation, and you’d like a legal professional’s help? If so, we could help. If it’s found you have a valid claim that has a chance of success, one of our No Win No Fee solicitors could help you make a misdiagnosis claim. They could offer their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement.

The terms of a CFA generally mean you won’t pay for their services if the claim fails. If your claim is a success, your solicitor can take a success fee from your compensation. The fee is taken as a percentage which is subject to a legal cap. 

For more information on how a solicitor could help you make a claim for misdiagnosis on this basis, please get in touch on the number above.

No matter whether you want to seek further information on misdiagnosis NHS claims, how much compensation for the misdiagnosis of cancer, or what payout you will get, all you need to do is give us a call for free advice.

Contact Our Team

Contact us today to get started by:

• Calling us on 0800 073 8801
• Using the live chat feature
• Contacting us online

Thank you for reading our guide on medical misdiagnosis claims.