Skin cancer claims
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Our specialist solicitors help people with skin cancer claims secure the compensation they need.
Skin cancer can have huge, even fatal, impacts. Failures in medical treatment, care and diagnosis may make symptoms or outcomes worse.
If you suspect you, or a loved one, has suffered medical negligence in the management of skin cancer, we’re here to support you getting answers – and financial assistance.
We understand compensation can never make up for what you’ve been through. It may help ease the struggles you face as a result, including loss of earnings.
For an initial free, no pressure, chat about what happened to you – and your compensation options – get in touch today.
Skin cancer misdiagnosis
If you or a loved one has been the victim of skin cancer misdiagnosis, we can help.
Skin cancer misdiagnosis can cause a lot of suffering. If skin cancer is missed, or initially thought to be less serious than it actually is, it may result in treatment delays and a worse outcome for you.
Should an incorrect, more severe diagnosis be given, this can lead to unnecessary worry or more extreme treatment than necessary.
Medics are trained to look out for signs of melanoma – one of the top five most common cancers in the UK, according to NHS guidance.
Common signs of melanoma include a:
- New or changed mole
- Mole that has:
- got bigger
- changed shape or colour
- started bleeding or become crusty
- become itchy or sore.
Failures to pick up these signs or take them seriously may lead to a valid compensation claim.
In some cases, delays in diagnosis could lead to fatality or reduced life expectancy.
As well as helping people who have suffered themselves due to skin cancer mismanagement, we also support individuals who have seen a loved one die as a result of failures in their skin cancer care.
If you feel you were the victim of skin cancer misdiagnosis – or a loved one was – contact us for advice on your options.
Skin cancer compensation claims
We help with skin cancer compensation claims, whatever the reason behind them.
They may be due to:
- misdiagnosis or false diagnosis
- inappropriate treatment
- delays in treatment
- skin cancer arising due to the actions of someone else – such as someone working outside without their employer providing appropriate protection. This could be a valid work-related compensation claim.
One circumstance where skin cancer compensation claims may arise is when a healthcare professional fails to notice symptoms that could be malignant melanoma.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has skin cancer guidelines that say suspected cases of melanoma should be referred for a specialist appointment within two weeks. In some cases, non-melanoma skin cancer – such as squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carnioma and less common skin cancers – should also be referred in this way.
If guidelines were not followed, it may mean you didn’t get the treatment you should have quickly enough, and you could be entitled to compensation.
We are experienced in supporting people though cancer claims and can help if you think you or a loved one has a skin cancer claim. Contact us for guidance.
How much skin cancer compensation could I be entitled to?
The figure can be thousands, tens of thousands or more depending on your individual circumstances and the specific harm done to you by someone else’s action or inaction.
You may be entitled to compensation both for the pain and suffering and to cover the monetary costs of dealing with the outcome. This could be to cover the costs of one or more of the following:
- Loss of earnings
- Attending appointments
- Adaptations to your home
- Any specialist equipment you need as a result
- Additional private care to help you cope.
Compensation is made up of two elements – general and special damages. General damages tend to be more predictable, whereas special damages are unique to the individual and rely on evidence being collated and supplied by your solicitor.
A specialist solicitor is vital to help you fully consider and calculate all the impacts the injury has had on you already and may do in the future. They will then ensure everything is included in your claim.
For example, if melanoma was not spotted early enough and then spread to another part of the body (i.e., it became stage 4 melanoma), you may have gone on to suffer cancer of the lymph nodes or a major organ. There are guideline payments for pain and suffering related to each outcome, which are added to calculated special payment amounts.
As an example, guideline general damages for the development of lung cancer (which can be a result of advanced melanoma) in an older person are around £65,710 to £91,350 – which would be added to unspecified special damages.
Can I sue for skin cancer?
You can claim compensation for skin cancer if there has been a breach of duty (such as a delay in diagnosis) and that the mistake caused harm (for example, your cancer spread or you required more intensive treatment).
Both of these things need to be either proven or accepted by the individual or organisation you are claiming against.
Other issues that may lead to a valid claim can include:
- skin cancer misdiagnosis
- a surgical error in your skin cancer treatment
- mistakes or malfunctions in your treatment
- unnecessary or inappropriate treatment
- your cancer spreading due to delays or mistakes in treatment.
Some people worry about whether it is right to claim compensation or if making a claim takes money from the NHS.
The NHS has systems in place (in the form of NHS Resolution – a kind of insurance company) to ensure that if people are harmed, they get the financial help they need.
Claiming compensation is a way to offset the costs imposed on you by the harm you have suffered – such as loss of earnings. It aims to help you try to live a life as close as possible to the one you would have had if the error never occurred.
We understand you may feel guilty about making a claim, but that is unjustified. We’ll support you with the emotions and practicalities of proceeding with your claim.
Are skin cancer compensation claims no win no fee?
Skin cancer claims can be carried out on a no win no fee basis.
There are various options available to you to pursue a claim without excessive cost or risk of racking up a legal bill.
We can advise you on the best option to ensure you retain the maximum amount of compensation awarded.
Skin cancer claims FAQs
We are always happy to answer any questions you may have about making a claim. Do get in touch.
Below, you can also find answers to some frequently asked questions.
What is Clinical Negligence?
Clinical negligence is any kind of failure by a medical professional to provide services to an acceptable standard.
When clinical negligence happens and someone suffers harm or injury as a result, it can lead to a compensation claim.
Clinical negligence can lead to physical and emotional harm – but what this looks like depends on the precise treatments and failures involved.
Clinical negligence could be caused by a specific medical professional or a healthcare service including:
- A doctor or GP
- Surgeon
- Psychologist or counsellor
- Dentist
- Gynaecologist
- Midwife
- Paediatrician
- Mental health team
- Nurse
- Health care assistant
Clinical negligence can happen in private healthcare and in NHS services. It’s also known as medical negligence.
What is clinical negligence law?
Clinical negligence law provides a route for people who have been harmed by not getting appropriate medical treatment to claim compensation. It is what specialist solicitors use to make their case.
For clinical negligence to lead to a valid compensation claim, it must be proven or accepted that all three of the following occurred:
- A duty of care was owed to the patient
- There was a breach of the duty
- That breach led to harm or injury.
It can be open to interpretation whether a breach of duty did take place and whether that breach led to harm.
For example, a patient who suffers a delay in cancer treatment due to a misinterpreted test result may believe they are a victim of clinical negligence. They would only be entitled to compensation if it is proven, or accepted by their health provider, that the delay led to a worse outcome for them.
If the delay didn’t change the outcome of their treatment, the compensation claim would likely not be valid. A delay may cause psychological harm even if the physical outcome is unchanged, however – this could make a claim valid.
What is clinical negligence compensation for?
The aim of clinical negligence compensation is to allow the injured person to live a life as closely aligned as possible to the one they would have had without the injury. Due to the serious and life-altering nature of some injuries, that new life may still be a very different one.
If you have suffered clinical negligence that leaves you unable to walk, you might need various mobility aids and home alterations to continue with your day-to-day activities. Clinical negligence compensation might help to cover the cost of these things.
Proving negligence can be a complex process, as can agreeing on what help is necessary to allow someone the best life possible after a medical injury.
Reliable legal advice from someone who knows what support is available can help to ensure everything is built into the compensation claim. That’s where specialist solicitors come in.
Where a fatality occurs, those left behind might pursue a fatal injury claim for financial support and some sense of closure.
How do I bring a clinical negligence claim?
To bring a clinical negligence claim against a medical body or professional:
- Contact a solicitor – those with specialist knowledge are often best placed to advise on the strength of your case
- File a complaint with the relevant medical body, if you wish to
- Gather evidence. Often, this means passing over certain medical records
- Make a settlement or go to court, once the case is prepared.
Our specialist clinical negligence solicitors can support you to make a claim and be by your side throughout the entire process.
For more information see our medical negligence claims page or contact us. We’ll take the time to listen and advise you on how to move forward.
