GPs provide an undeniably important public service, providing medical care for patients throughout the country.

Although GPs are trained to an incredibly high standard, they will inevitably make mistakes on occasions. Most mistakes can be overlooked or remedied with little trouble, but some are considerably more serious, resulting in illness, injury and sometimes even death.

What Can Go Wrong?

A GP can find themselves in hot water for many reasons, but most claims for compensation involve prescription errors and misdiagnoses. GPs are often subject to claims made by patients whose conditions have worsened as a result of poor primary care.

Prescription errors are relatively common among GPs, who sometimes act negligently by prescribing treatments that could do more harm than good to patients. An important contraindication might have been ignored by the GP or a dosage of medicine miscalculated. GPs could also face legal action for failing to take seriously a patient's concerns about an allergy that is made worse by the treatment prescribed. In some cases, GPs have prescribed medicine that is simply not required and which has ended up causing harm to the patient.

Accounting for most other claims for compensation brought against GPs, cases of misdiagnosis are extremely serious. Failing to accurately diagnose a patient's condition can cause a disease or infection to cause great harm. Equally, neglecting to treat a condition in time or failing to carry out all relevant tests might be deemed negligent by a court.

How Often Do Mistakes Occur?

Precisely how many mistakes are made by GPs in the UK each year remains unknown, largely because many cases are thought to go unreported. What is known is the amount of compensation paid out on GP negligence claims. According to the Medical Protection Society (MPS), which handles more than 5,000 negligence claims brought against private doctors and GPs at any one time, the cost of claims has been rising every year, with a 40 per cent increase in the value of unsettled cases occurring in 2009 alone.

Making a Claim for Compensation

It is often important to discuss details of a problem with the GP in question, not least to ascertain why a mistake has been made. Some people are content with an apology from their GP, whilst others choose to pursue compensation through the courts.

Providing clear and precise details of an alleged instance of clinical negligence is important when claiming compensation. Medical evidence is necessary to establish how an injury or illness was caused and whether the GP made a mistake that resulted in the harm.

In order to establish negligence against a GP, the claimant must be able to prove that the GP breached their duty of care and that the breach caused the harm. Specialist medical solicitors can provide legal advice for those who claim to have suffered from clinical negligence.