Ballarat Base Hospital Medical Negligence Compensation Claim Solicitors
There are almost 20,000 fatalities and over 50,000 serious injuries caused by medical negligence in Australia every year. It is recognised that Australia has the worst record of clinical errors for any country in the developed world. Most patients who are treated at Ballarat Base hospital receive a caring service however, in common with every other Australian hospital, there are times when things go wrong. Our specialist medical negligence solicitors deal with personal injury compensation claims against doctors, nurses and technicians at Ballarat Base Hospital using the no win no fee scheme. If you would like free advice with no further obligation on a medical negligence compensation claim against Ballarat Base Hospital just use the helpline or complete the online contact form or email our offices. A clinical negligence lawyer will speak to you on the telephone and will advise on liability and the likely amount of compensation that you might expect to receive in the event of a successful outcome. There are time limits for all personal injury claims and you must not delay taking qualified legal advice.
Negligence
There are no strict rules that outline the standard of care to be achieved by a healthcare professional. Doctors, nurses and technicians are judged by comparing their performance to a reasonably competent healthcare practitioner treating a patient with a similar illness at a similar location. Failure to achieve a reasonable standard of cadre may indicate negligence. The mere fact that the chosen treatment fails does not always indicate negligence. Treatment will not be deemed to be negligent, even though alternative treatment may have succeeded, provided that the chosen treatment is logical and is supported by a substantial body of Australian medical opinion.
Compensation Awards
Damages payable in a Ballarat Base Hospital medical negligence compensation claim include the following items :-
- pain & suffering
- adapted transport & travel expenses
- care and assistance including household chores
- out of pocket expenses
- loss of lifestyle and congenial employment
- continuing medical expenses
- special care aids, prosthetics & equipment
- adapted accommodation
- loss of past & future earnings including pension rights
- legal charges
- disadvantage on the open labour market
Time Limits
There are time limits for most legal proceedings including applications for compensation for personal injury caused by medical negligence. The reasons for limiting time are numerous including the need for all parties to move on and the fact that memories fail, witnesses die, paperwork is lost and electronic memory becomes corrupted. If you believe that you have been injured as a result of incompetence you should take urgent advice from a qualified lawyer. Failure to abide by the time limits usually means that the opportunity to be awarded damages is lost forever