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<h1>14 Medical Accidents</h1>
<!-- JSP STARTS - control which section heading we show -->
<p><a href="https://gurkhajustice.org.uk//media/808/FC/leaflet14e.pdf" target="_blank"></a>Download <a href="https://gurkhajustice.org.uk//media/368/BB/Leaflet14e1.pdf" target="_blank">Medical Accidents (PDF File, 819kb)</a></p>
<p><br/></p>
<p><a href="/">1. Introduction</a></p>
<p><a href="/">2. What is a medical accident?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">3. What should I do if I have suffered a medical accident?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">4. How do I find out more about what happened to me?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">5. What if I want to complain about a professional´s behaviour?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">6. When can I claim compensation?</a></p>
<p><strong>7. How do I claim compensation?</strong><br/>There is no system in the UK for automatically paying compensation to people who have suffered a medical accident. Sometimes, a hospital may admit it has made a mistake and offer you compensation, but this is usually for relatively minor injuries or losses. In most cases, you will need to make a legal claim for 'clinical negligence'.</p>
<p>If you live in Wales, you may be able to use a new compensation scheme being tested there. The Speedy Resolution Pilot Scheme aims to settle claims quickly and reduce costs, but you can use it only:</p>
<ul>
<li>if your injury was due to treatment provided by an NHS Trust in Wales; and</li>
<li>for ‘small’ claims of between £5,000 and £15,000.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are some other rules governing whether this scheme can deal with your claim. You will need to talk to a specialist clinical negligence solicitor from AvMA or the Law Society Clinical Negligence Panel to decide whether you can use the scheme and weigh up its possible benefits and drawbacks.</p>
<p><a href="/">8. How do I decide whether to take legal action?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">9. What if I can´t afford to pay for a solicitor?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">10. What do I have to prove to claim compensation?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">11. What can I claim compensation for?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">12. What can I do if my treatment was private?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">13. What if a relative has died as a result of a medical accident?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">14. What if my injury was caused by faulty medical equipment?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">15. What if I want to make sure that the same mistake is not repeated?</a></p>
<p><a href="/">16. Further help</a></p>
<p><a href="/">17. About this leaflet</a></p>
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<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This leaflet is published by the Gurkha Free Legal Advice (LSC). It was written in association with Action Against Medical Accidents.</p>
<p>Leaflet Version: June 2008</p>
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