People generally go to hospitals, clinics, surgeries, health centres and pharmacies to improve their well-being. However, there are cases of patients being told that the operation, medicine or care they were receiving was right, only for them to come out with an additional injury, or to find that their existing illness had got worse.

This is called medical negligence, and its victims make claims against the very people or organisations that they trusted their health with of making serious, sometimes fatal errors in their attempts to nurse them back to health. Those who have suffered make claims according to the problem they have encountered while receiving healthcare. Some claims are more common than others, and they may surprise you.

Patients who come out of operations with an injury or illness they hadn’t bargained for make medical negligence claims. They do so if they hadn’t been warned of the risks before they were operated on by surgeons, and they make claims against either the hospital or clinic where it took place or the individuals performing the operation.

Clinical negligence claims are the most common, as they cover a wide range of accidents and mistakes in a variety of settings. They usually cover any faults made in the care being provided by hospitals in wards, despite being told that the care would be attentive and vital in helping you get back on the mend.

Hospital negligence claims are also common. These generally cover being prescribed medication that adversely affects your health, despite being told otherwise and anything performed in an accident and emergency department which makes you feel worse. Again, the success of these claims is dependent on whether the patient was informed of the risks in advance of any operation.