What are the most common types of clinical negligence claims?

Every year in the UK, millions of men, women and children put their lives in the hands of the medical professionals, whether through the NHS or other private groups. Clinical negligence claims are the compensation patients can claim for when they believe their medical practitioner (from doctors and surgeons to nurses and dentists) has made a mistake. But what are the most common kinds of clinical negligence?

Medical negligence case pursued by father of amputated girl

At the age of just 10 months old, Miki Lin Gao was admitted to Peterborough District Hospital with septicaemic shock, a bleeding disorder known as coagulopathy, and multiple organ failure. The severity of her condition meant that doctors had to amputate both of her legs. Miki is now 6 years old, and up to 300,000 in medical negligence compensation is being sought by her father, Hou Chun Lin, who has begun legal proceedings against Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

1.2 billion: The cost of clinical negligence at the NHS over a 2 year period

The NHS Litigation Authority has released new figures which show that medical blunders have cost the NHS 1.2 billion over the past two years. Nearly half of the damages were paid out for mistakes maternity units, which are clearly overextended. Compensation was also paid for cases where patients lost their lives as a result of negligence, and where children were left with severe disabilities such as brain damage.