Clinical negligence

Clinical negligence cases are based on the assumption that a doctor owes patients a duty to take reasonable care when treating or advising them. Doctors breach this duty if their treatment falls below the standard expected by a responsible body of medical opinion. The doctor will be held to have acted negligently. A patient may then have a claim for compensation if, and only if, the patient can prove, on the balance of probabilities, that the negligence has caused physical or emotional injury. A claim must be commenced within three years of when the injury occurred or it will be time barred.