We have acted for clients who have suffered injury due to negligence as part of routine healthcare received from
- General Practitioners
- Allied Health professionals
- Dentists and Orthodontists
General Practitioners
GPs are our primary caregivers; they are the main interface and the gatekeeper to specialist services.
When GPs make errors, they usually relate to issues with diagnosis, investigations and interpretation of results, and boundary breaches. Sometimes they can relate to delays in referring a patient for specialist advice and treatment or for important diagnostic tests.
We have also acted for clients whose GPs have prescribed medications without discussion of the associated risks; when those risks crystallise, clients face devastating outcomes.
A common theme in these claims is the breakdown of trust in the doctor-patient relationship and the feeling of being let down.
Sadly, we also deal with cases involving GPs who have failed to observe professional boundaries. It is necessary in these types of cases to consider referral to the Health Care Complaints Commission to ensure the future protection of the public.
Primary Care and Allied Health
Although the phrase commonly used in health law is “medical” negligence, negligence is not confined to medical practitioners.
Allied health is a relatively new term that generally includes all registered health practitioners other than doctors, nurses and dentists. Indeed, any health professional with a direct role in treating patients who does not act with reasonable skill and care, may be liable in negligence whether qualified as a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, radiographer, optometrist, podiatrist or psychologist.
Dentists and Orthodontists
Examples of negligent treatment by dentists and orthodontists include:
- Removal of the wrong teeth
- Poor treatment of oral abscesses resulting in septic shock
- Untreated gum disorders
- Treatment beyond the scope of practice
Dental health is critical to people’s psychological wellbeing not least because it affects our appearance and is fundamental to the way in which we interact with others. As such, negligence claims in this area are likely to involve claims for psychological as well as physical damage.
