A failure to refer for medical treatment, medical testing, or to see a hospital consultant can be medical negligence. Every medical professional has a duty of care to the patient, and if they breach that duty of care, you may have a compensation claim*.

The failure to refer claim* can be due to the GP’s failure to refer you to see an oncologist. It may be a failure to refer when the A&E doctor fails to send you for an X-ray or when the hospital consultant fails to refer you for a blood test.

Every medical professional owes you a duty of care when providing medical treatment. It could be medical negligence if they fail to provide you with an acceptable level of treatment, and you may have a medical negligence compensation claim*.

PBN Litigation Solicitors in Dublin can make your claim for medical negligence compensation.

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What is a failure to refer claim*?

A failure to refer claim* for compensation is the legal process you follow after experiencing medical negligence at any stage in your treatment. You make the medical negligence claim against the medical professional responsible for the failure to refer.

In Ireland, every year, we see over 100,000 cases of adverse events in medical care. The adverse events are classified as harm to a patient in medical care, and a failure to refer the patient for testing and treatment is a type of medical negligence. In all, there were over 500 deaths in Ireland due to an adverse event in medical care. 

Medical negligence is when you receive medical treatment at a level no other medical professional would provide in similar circumstances. A medical professional owes you a duty of care, and if they breach that duty of care and cause you harm, it could be medical negligence.

PBN Litigation Solicitors in Dublin are experienced medical negligence professionals and can make your compensation claim* for a failure to refer.

Start your medical negligence case today by contacting PBN solicitors.

PBN solicitors have that experience and understanding to be with you every step along the way of a medical negligence compensation claim*.

Common claims for a failure to refer

Common claims for a failure to refer range from a failure to refer for further testing to a failure to refer for treatment. You could suffer a missed diagnosis of cancer or a misdiagnosis of diabetes due to a failure to refer.

You may make a compensation claim* for a failure to refer for the effects on your life today and in the future.

Common medical negligence claims for a failure to refer:

GP failure to refer claims*

GP failure to refer claims* often happen when the GP does not examine the patient thoroughly or look at medical notes when making a diagnosis. Your GP is often the first medical professional you meet; you rely on them to treat you correctly.

Failure to refer by a GP can be:

  • Failure to refer you to a hospital consultant
  • Failure to refer you for blood tests and other standard tests
  • Failure to refer you for cancer screening

You can make a failure to refer medical negligence claim against your GP.

Hospital consultant failure to refer claims*

The hospital consultant failure to refer claims* can follow an initial diagnosis by a GP or other doctor. The hospital consultant should look at your notes and decide whether to send you for further tests or to see another consultant.

Types of failure to refer malpractice by hospital consultants:

  • Failure to refer you for a scan, X-ray or an MRI
  • Failure to refer you for further treatment
  • Failure to refer you to see another specialist to make a diagnosis

PBN medical negligence solicitors can look at the details of the failure to refer claim*.

Oncologist failure to refer claims*

Oncologist failure to refer claims* can have a severe effect on your cancer treatment, and delays in beginning cancer treatment can make your illness worse.

Your oncologist should read your medical records, refer you for further tests and refer you to another specialist if necessary.

A failure to refer by an oncologist can cause a missed diagnosis of cancer and allow a cancer to spread before treatment begins.

A&E doctor failure to refer claims*

A&E doctor failure to refer claims* can be for medical negligence during an emergency admission at a time when you most need professional medical care.

Medical negligence by the A&E doctor can cause you pain, and in some cases, the doctor may miss life-threatening conditions and injuries.

Failure to refer by an A&E doctor may be:

  • Failure to refer for a blood test or other standard test
  • Failure to refer for an X-ray on an injured part of the body
  • Failure to refer a patient to see a hospital consultant

PBN Litigation Solicitors can handle your failure to refer medical negligence claims.

Nurse failure to refer claims*

The nurse failure to refer claims* can be due to errors in your medical treatment by the GP practice nurse or by a nurse in the hospital on the wards or in a clinic.

When treating you, a nurse may see a symptom of an illness or an injury and should refer you to another medical professional for further examination.

Types of failure to refer by a nurse medical negligence:

  • Failure to refer to be seen by the GP by the practice nurse
  • Failure to refer the patient to an A&E doctor by the triage nurse
  • Failure to refer a pregnant woman to be seen by the obstetrician

The failure to refer by a nurse can lead to a missed diagnosis at a crucial, early stage of a condition.

You can make a medical negligence claim for compensation if you suffer a failure to refer you for further testing, diagnosis, or treatment by a medical professional.

PBN Litigation Solicitors have the experience in medical negligence to look at the details of your case and help make the failure to refer compensation claim*.

Start your medical negligence case today by contacting PBN solicitors.

Compensation in a Failure to refer claim*

Compensation in a failure to refer claim* in Ireland depends on the effects of the medical negligence and how much the patient suffers due to a failure to refer for tests, treatment, and to see a specialist.  

A failure to refer for a scan could miss the early signs of cancer or the broken bone in the leg after an accident. The effects of going without medical care can make the condition worse and everyday activities like driving and exercising could become difficult for a while.

The failure to refer may let the condition worsen before a correct diagnosis is made. You may be able to claim compensation for having time off work and for being in severe pain and discomfort when the injury or disease gets worse.

There is not one fixed compensation award for a failure to refer claim*. You may seek compensation for the trauma and other changes to your life after medical negligence at the hands of the medical professional.

You can claim medical negligence compensation to cover the costs of extra medical treatment, the loss of income, and paying for care. 

With a medical negligence claim*, you seek damages for the effect on your health and well-being, your ability to work, and your future life. 

PBN Litigation Solicitors can explain how the process works and how your failure to refer claim* will combine two types of damages.

Damages in a Failure to refer claim*

Damages in a failure to refer claim* for compensation are a combination of:

General Damages in a failure to refer claim* are compensation for the effects of the suffering due to a medical professional’s breach of duty of care to you.

You can claim general damages for the unnecessary pain and discomfort due to the failure to refer you when making a diagnosis or treating you for any medical condition.

General Damages may be claimed in a medical negligence case where the injuries cause pain and inconvenience and affect the patient’s ability to exercise, drive, play sports and other activities.

Special Damages in a failure to refer claim* are for the financial effects on your life due to the medical negligence. 

You may be able to claim for the errors by a GP, nurse, A&E doctor or hospital consultant that led to you living with a broken limb, developing diabetes, or having to undergo more invasive cancer treatment.

With Special Damages, you can claim for: 

  • The loss of earnings
  • Care costs today and in the future 
  • Out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, medical appointments, further treatment 

Special Damages are for the financial effects of a loss of income after the failure to refer negligence when you cannot work or may even need to change your employment.

You may claim Special Damages to offset the financial costs of the medical negligence so you will not be out of pocket due to the actions of others. 

A compensation claim* will help you get what is needed to maintain a similar quality of life as before the failure to refer negligence impacted your life. 

Your PBN Litigation solicitor can guide you on what to expect in compensation and how to make a claim for failure to refer negligence.

The two types of damages consider the effects of the medical negligence before, during and after the meeting with a doctor, nurse or hospital consultant and its impact on your life today and in the future.

Who can be at fault for failure to refer negligence?

A medical professional may be at fault for failure to refer negligence. The medical professional has a duty of care to refer you for further treatment, for more tests and to see a consultant to begin accurate treatment.

The breach of duty of care by a medical professional could lead to your condition getting worse, and you may make a medical negligence compensation claim*.

When a patient is in danger of developing diabetes due to family history or has symptoms of cancer, then the GP or other medical professional must identify the symptoms and refer them for testing and for prompt treatment. Any delays due to a failure to refer may be medical negligence.

Medical professionals who could be at fault for failure to refer negligence:

  • The paramedic in the emergency call-out
  • The GP who fails to make a diagnosis or send you for tests
  • The A&E doctor who fails to examine the patient properly
  • A hospital consultant who does refer you for scans
  • The radiologist who fails to refer a patient
  • The nurse who does not refer the patient to see a doctor
  • The doctor who does refer you to see another specialist
  • The HSE hospital, which employs too few staff

Medical negligence can waste time in making an accurate diagnosis or could see you suffering before a referral is made to see the right medical professional. You may have a compensation claim* against those at fault for failure to refer negligence.

PBN Litigation Solicitors will help you make a compensation claim* for failure to refer negligence.

Make a Failure to refer claim* today

Make a failure to refer claim* today by contacting PBN Litigation Solicitors in Dublin. 

The experience of PBN Litigation Solicitors in dealing with all types of medical negligence can help you get the most from a compensation claim*.

You are the one who suffered a breach of duty of care by the medical professional. You are the one who had to suffer unnecessary pain and discomfort and whose life could be in danger due to a failure to refer by the medical professional.

You could lose your income when you cannot work, or you may need to take a job with a lower salary than before the medical negligence. You could have a compensation claim* for any financial losses to the home.

You and other family members should not be out of pocket due to medical negligence.

Contact PBN Litigation Solicitors today and let us make your failure to refer compensation claim*.