Cancer negligence in Ireland is when you receive treatment for cancer below a level any other medical professional would provide. You could suffer cancer negligence from your GP, hospital doctor, HSE hospital or an oncologist.

Your GP or hospital doctor owes you a duty of care. If they breach that duty of care, it could be medical negligence. The medical negligence of low-quality cancer treatment can affect your life today and in the future.

You could suffer a loss of income to the home, have to undergo further, prolonged treatment and may have many medical bills to pay. If your losses are due to negligence by a medical professional, you may have a cancer negligence compensation claim*.

A cancer negligence claim can get compensation for your damages.

Hughes & Associates Solicitors in Dublin can make your compensation claim* if you have experienced medical negligence with your cancer treatment.

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What is a cancer negligence claim?

A cancer negligence claim for compensation* is when you seek damages for the effects of the medical negligence on your life. Your suffering could be due to a lack of duty of care by a medical professional, and you may have a cancer negligence claim.

There are more than 44,000 cancer diagnoses made in Ireland each year. Over 24,000 are what are known as invasive cancers, a cancer that spreads, while the balance is made up of non-invasive cancers. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with over 11,000 new patients annually. Prostate cancer, with more than 4,000 new cases and breast cancer, with over 3,600 new annual diagnoses, are the next most widespread forms of cancer. 

Cancer treatment is all about diagnosis. An accurate diagnosis can put you on the correct cancer treatment path, and a prompt diagnosis of cancer is vital to get the treatment working as soon as is possible.

Any delays in diagnosis or in the beginning of treatment will have a serious, detrimental effect on your fight against cancer. The medical negligence of not referring you for further testing, a misdiagnosis or a missed diagnosis of your cancer can cost you valuable time and may even be fatal.

By working with Hughes & Associates Solicitors in Dublin, you can start a cancer negligence claim and receive the compensation you deserve for any damages you have suffered.

Contact Hughes & Associates for help with your Cancer Negligence Claim

Common Cancer Negligence Claims in Ireland

Common cancer negligence claims in Ireland range from the failure to refer for testing to delays in beginning treatment to the missed diagnosis of the cancer at an early stage.

You may make a cancer negligence claim for the medical negligence you suffer in the treatment of any cancer. 

Some of the common cancer negligence claims:

The GP’s failure to refer a patient for cancer tests may lead to a missed diagnosis of cancer at a crucial stage. Patients go to their GP as a first line in staying healthy; they trust their GP to be aware of symptoms and to refer them for further testing.

Being referred for cancer testing by a GP can:

  • Lead to an early detection of a cancer
  • Allow the patient to begin cancer treatment at a very early stage
  • Reduce the need for aggressive cancer treatment

A failure to refer you for testing by a GP can make your cancer worse.

You could have a cancer negligence compensation claim* if your GP fails to refer you for further testing when you have possible cancer symptoms.

A missed diagnosis of cancer by an oncologist could be a severe case of medical negligence in cancer treatment. 

Patients rely on the training and experience of an oncologist to make an accurate and timely cancer diagnosis and not to cause a missed diagnosis of cancer.

A missed diagnosis of cancer can happen:

  • When the oncologist does not order the correct cancer tests
  • When the oncologist misreads the results of a cancer test
  • When the oncologist mixes up a patient’s notes

Hughes & Associates Solicitors can make your medical negligence claim for a missed cancer diagnosis.

The failure to refer a patient for the correct cancer treatment can cause delays in beginning the proper treatment and could even put a patient’s life at risk.

The correct cancer treatment could halt the progress of cancer and reduce the time a patient needs aggressive cancer treatment. Receiving the wrong cancer treatment could make the patient very ill and lose valuable time in tackling their cancer.

Any delays in treatment or any incorrect treatment could be medical negligence, and you may have a compensation claim*.

A misdiagnosis of cancer by an oncologist could cause many issues for the patient and have a detrimental effect on their fight against cancer. Any misdiagnosis could put a patient on the wrong treatment path and reduce their chances of a successful recovery from cancer.

A misdiagnosis of cancer by an oncologist may be:

  • The misdiagnosis of bowel cancer as a digestion issue
  • The misdiagnosis of the type of cancer as non-invasive
  • The misdiagnosis of the stage of the cancer 

You could have a cancer negligence compensation claim* for the misdiagnosis of your cancer by the oncologist.

Any delays in cancer treatment due to HSE admin errors may affect how you fight your cancer, the length of time you need to spend in hospital and the medication you need to take. 

Delays in cancer treatment due to a HSE administration error can happen:

  • When the oncology department fails to schedule an appointment
  • When the HSE fails to employ enough staff to run the cancer ward
  • When the department fails to schedule further chemotherapy appointments

The delays in cancer treatment due to administration errors can happen at any time on your cancer journey but could affect you for life.

You could have a medical negligence claim against the HSE for administrative errors leading to losses and damages from unnecessary suffering.

Hughes & Associates Solicitors has the expertise and the experience of medical negligence cases to make your claim for cancer negligence compensation at any stage of your diagnosis and treatment.

Compensation for Cancer Negligence in Ireland

Compensation for cancer negligence in Ireland is for when you suffer errors in your cancer treatment, such as a delayed diagnosis, a missed diagnosis, an administration error, or you lose a loved one through fatal cancer negligence.

The compensation is for the damages suffered today and in the future due to the medical negligence. You make a medical negligence claim for the injury caused and its effects on your life.

There are two types of damages in a cancer negligence compensation claim* in Ireland:

General damages in a cancer negligence claim will see you compensated for the Loss of Amenity due to errors with your cancer medications, diagnosis errors or any negligence during your cancer treatment. 

You may suffer a loss of amenity, such as difficulty walking, exercising, or getting to work. 

You can also claim for the Pain and Suffering due to the injury you suffered in the hospital due to cancer negligence.

Special damages in a cancer negligence claim are for the costs and expenses you will have due to the errors when making a cancer diagnosis, when the oncology team give you the wrong medication or other types of cancer medication negligence.

Special damages in a medical negligence injury claim could be: 

  • Medical costs
  • Loss of earnings
  • Travel costs 
  • Cost of care
  • Further treatment costs
  • Cost of aids and equipment 

A successful claim could see you receive compensation. Compensation in a medical negligence claim in Ireland combines the two damages when you suffer one of the many types of negligence in your medical care.

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can help make a cancer negligence claim in Ireland.

How to make a cancer negligence claim in Ireland

To make a cancer negligence claim in Ireland, you need only take a few easy-to-follow steps, from talking to a solicitor to filing the compensation claim*.

At Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors, we want to make a medical negligence claim as easy as possible.

You have gone through the effects of medical negligence in your cancer diagnosis and treatment, and we can help you take the steps to a successful compensation claim*.

The steps are designed to provide an efficient and effective way to make a medical negligence compensation claim*.

The first step to make a medical negligence claim is to contact a personal injury solicitor. 

You can contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today and outline the issues you have experienced. 

A medical negligence claim can be complex and very personal in many circumstances. You may have lost a loved one to medical negligence or may know the oncologist or GP who made the errors in the cancer treatment.

We will take the time to understand your situation and build a professional relationship with you. 

You and your solicitor work together to create your compensation case. 

One of the main aspects of this step is to gather evidence. We will want to look at your medical records, oncologist notes, and any other accounts related to your case. 

We can call on other medical experts to develop your medical negligence claim and see what happened in your cancer negligence case.

The solicitor helping you with the case will know what areas of evidence to cover and what will help your compensation claim*. 

Submission of the letter of claim to the negligent party is the next step in the medical negligence claims process.

In the letter of claim, your solicitor will outline the details of your case and how you suffered medical negligence with your cancer care.

The negligent party could be the HSE, hospital authority, local GP practice or medical care clinic.

In most cases of medical negligence, the letter of claim will be handled by the insurers of the negligent party.

Dealing with the reply to your letter of claim is the next step in the medical negligence case.

The negligent party, through their insurance company, will make a written reply to your letter of claim within a matter of months. 

In the letter of reply, they may admit to the negligence, offer compensation, or deny liability for your medical negligence claim.

You may need to go to court if the negligent party denies responsibility for the medical negligence or does not offer an acceptable level of compensation for your cancer negligence injury.

Court proceedings can be the next step if the defendant rejects the claim or you feel you should receive more in compensation.

Court proceedings are rare, although your Hughes & Associates solicitor will be prepared. We may look to gather further evidence to support your cancer compensation claim* when it comes to a court hearing. 

Often, a medical negligence claim is settled on the morning of the court case when the negligent party realises you are not backing down and they look at your evidence or your expert witness.

When the court case is successful, the process of paying compensation for medical negligence will follow. 

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can make your medical negligence claim against the negligent party responsible for the cancer negligence.

Who is responsible for cancer negligence claims in Ireland?

A medical professional is responsible for any cancer negligence claim in Ireland. The oncologist, GP or oncology nurse who provides below-acceptable levels of medical care to you may be responsible for the medical negligence claim. 

You may experience cancer negligence in the hospital oncology clinic when they make an error with your medications or when the oncologist makes a misdiagnosis of your cancer and prescribes the wrong medications.

In most cases of cancer negligence, the employer is responsible and deemed the negligent party. The employer is responsible for hiring suitably trained staff, for providing suitable working conditions and that all staff are adequately supervised when on duty.

The employer responsible for the cancer negligence could be:

  • The HSE
  • The HSE hospital group
  • The private medical centre
  • The GP clinic
  • The consultant in private rooms
  • The private hospital operator

At Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors, we have a team of medical negligence experts in place to make your cancer negligence claim.

Cancer negligence in the HSE

Cancer negligence in the HSE is when you experience substandard medical treatment in any HSE healthcare centre with your cancer treatment. 

Studies show that early diagnosis is essential to a positive outcome with cancer treatment, and with more than 42,000 people a year being diagnosed, it is more important than ever to avoid cancer negligence.

Cancer negligence in the HSE does happen, and unfortunately, if it happens to you, you could suffer the effects today and for the rest of your life. Cancer negligence reduces your chance of making a full recovery and could cost your life in cases of fatal cancer negligence.

It is essential that you receive the best care possible when dealing with cancer.

If you have suffered medical negligence with your cancer diagnosis and treatment, you may have a cancer negligence compensation claim*.

Who can make a fatal cancer negligence claim in Ireland?

The family and financial dependents of a loved one who dies due to fatal cancer negligence can claim compensation in Ireland.

Fatal medical negligence in cancer treatment can affect many family members and dependents of the deceased, and they can make a compensation claim*.

You may be able to claim compensation for fatal cancer negligence in Ireland if you are:

  • The spouse of the victim of fatal cancer negligence
  • A parent of the deceased
  • A step-parent of the deceased
  • A grandparent of the deceased
  • A child of the deceased
  • A step-child of the deceased
  • An adult-dependent of the deceased
  • Family members who relied on the deceased for care and financial support
  • A sister or brother of the deceased
  • A half-brother or sister of the deceased

Dependents and family members may be able to claim for loss of income and other financial losses due to the death of a loved one in a case of fatal cancer negligence.

Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors can help dependents make one of the common claims for fatal medical negligence in Ireland.

Make a cancer negligence claim today

Make a cancer negligence claim today by contacting Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors in Dublin.

You could have a compensation claim* if you suffered a delay in the diagnosis of cancer, experienced treatment errors when you have cancer or lost a loved one due to cancer negligence. 

The cost of medical negligence can be large medical bills, a loss of income, or the need for full-time care, and you may make a medical negligence claim.

Contact Hughes & Associates Personal Injury Solicitors today for a confidential and professional service with your cancer negligence compensation claim*.

Contact the Hughes & Associates Team

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    +353 1 891 0020
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