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Meningitis is dangerous, but with timely diagnosis and treatment can be resolved without lasting damage. When symptoms are missed or the care is substandard, it can cause severe damage and place someone’s life in jeopardy.
If you or someone you know has suffered due to substandard care, our expert solicitors can help you make a meningitis negligence claim. With more than three decades of medical experience on our side, trust us to secure the compensation, justice and answers you need to move on and preserve your quality of life.
Do you have a meningitis negligence claim?
The time between contracting meningitis and suffering life-altering injuries can be as short as a single day. That is why mistakes in diagnosing and treating this disease are so significant, and can often result in serious, life-altering consequences.
If a healthcare professional failed to take reasonable steps to identify and treat meningitis, and you suffered as a result, you may have a right to justice. However complex your claim, we have the expertise to present a case that holds those responsible to account and secures your long-term financial future.
The specialist meningitis negligence claims solicitors for Essex & East Anglia
Since 1993, we have helped countless claimants prove their meningitis misdiagnosis claims, and recoup millions in compensation to give them much-needed closure.
To present the strongest case on your behalf, we devote the time and resources necessary to investigate all evidence. As well as providing sensitive advice at every step, we work hard to make litigation as stress-free for you as possible – 96% of our cases settle out of court, and our ‘no win, no fee’ approach means you pay nothing unless you win.
What does our meningitis negligence claims process look like?
A free initial consultation
Call us, request a callback or complete our online form and we’ll assess if you have a valid medical negligence claim.
Funding your claim
Discover the ways we can fund your claim without you paying a penny at any stage of the process.
Investigating evidence
We gather medical records, witness statements and more to learn what happened to you and prove your claim.
Instructing independent medical experts
We work with impartial, experienced medical experts to establish whether your injuries were due to substandard medical care.
Valuing your claim
We assess your health and financial losses to accurately estimate how much compensation your claim is worth.
Presenting your case
We contact the Defendants and the Courts on your behalf to set out your allegations and receive a response.
Negotiating a settlement
We work to achieve a fair settlement for you outside the courtroom – this is how 96% of our cases end.
Preparing for Trial
If we must proceed to Trial, we fully prepare you for what to expect so you receive the right result in court.
What you need to know about meningitis negligence claims
What is meningitis?
Meningitis is a very severe and life-threatening infection that causes the membranes around the brain and spinal cord to swell. If treatment is not provided swiftly, severe infection can very quickly cause irreversible damage and even death.
There are two main types of meningitis – viral meningitis and bacterial meningitis.
Viral meningitis is the most common form, and will rarely be life-threatening. However, delayed diagnosis or treatment can still have lifelong after-effects, including risk of brain injury, sight and hearing loss, and behavioural difficulties.
Bacterial meningitis shares many of the same symptoms as viral meningitis, but is significantly more virulent. The health of those affected can deteriorate rapidly, requiring rapid hospital admission and treatment with antibiotics to prevent serious consequences and possibly even death.
How can meningitis negligence happen?
Whether infection occurs in close contact with others, or during medical procedures in hospital, the window of time that someone has between first exposure to bacterial meningitis and life-altering consequences can be as short as a single day.
To minimise the impact that meningitis can have on a person’s health, medical professionals must act upon any red flags of meningitis, administering antibiotics and referring for further tests and examinations where necessary.
Situations that can lead to a meningitis misdiagnosis, and potentially be the grounds for a meningitis negligence claim, include:
- Meningitis symptoms being missed or misinterpreted
- Test results and scans being overlooked or misreported
- Failure to conduct a chest X-ray or CT scan of the head
- Spinal fluid not tested for signs of infection
- Blood and urine cultures not analysed
How can meningitis negligence impact my life?
If a doctor, nurse or another healthcare professional fails to identify the signs of meningitis, mistakes it for a less serious condition or fails to provide an acceptable standard of care to you or a loved one, it can lead to serious repercussions, including:
- Life-threatening blood poisoning (septicaemia/sepsis)
- Amputation of limbs or digits
- Permanent damage to the brain and nerves
- Learning difficulties and behavioural problems
- Total or partial blindness
- Total or partial hearing loss
- Epilepsy or recurrent seizures
- Organ failure
- Arthritis and other bone/joint problems
The repercussions of meningitis negligence are not just physical – it can permeate every facet of your life. If you can no longer work, you could lose your family’s main source of income, making your future feel uncertain. Your injuries may also require the permanent addition of aids around the home, in the car or at work. Varying degrees of care may also be required to support you for the remainder of your life.
To give you the ability to maximise your quality of life, and seek justice for the clinical negligence you have endured, our misdiagnosis claims solicitors can provide you with the support and strength to pursue compensation.
How do I know if I have a meningitis negligence claim?
Everyone has a right to expect a certain quality of care. When that care falls below a certain standard, this can form the basis of a meningitis negligence claim.
Whether a healthcare professional fails to spot the symptoms, doesn’t act on warning signs of meningitis, or prescribes the wrong medication, this can have varying degrees of consequences for those affected.
Proving whether the care you or a loved one received was negligent relies on answering the following three questions in the eyes of the law:
- Did a healthcare professional breach their duty of care towards you?
- Have you suffered any financial losses, injuries or pain as a result?
- Was the professional’s breach of duty directly responsible for your pain and suffering?
As medical negligence experts, we seek to create as solid a foundation as possible for our clients so that they can pursue claims for meningitis with confidence.
This often involves having discussions with relevant medical experts to determine whether the treatment received was of an acceptable standard, and if the actions of the accused were reasonable, given the information they had at the time.
To form a complete picture and present your case effectively, we devote the time and resources necessary to assess all available evidence, including:
- Medical records
- Personal statements
- Photographs
- Witness statements
How can meningitis claims compensation help me?
Compensation for meningitis negligence is designed to place you or a loved one in the position they should be in if the negligence had not happened, by allowing the purchase of aids, adaptations, homes, vehicles and any necessary treatment and therapies, as well as making up for financial losses such as loss of earnings.
This can include:
- Adaptations to the home and vehicles
- Future financial losses due to an inability to work
- Ongoing treatments, prescriptions and medication
- Any care required now and in the future
- Therapies for any physical or psychological harm caused by the experience
It is impossible to accurately determine the value of compensation you can expect to receive until your case has been thoroughly investigated by a medical negligence solicitor. However, it will be calculated based on both the pain and suffering you endured and your long-term needs as a result of your injuries.
You can learn more in our essential guide to medical negligence compensation.
How long does a meningitis claim take to settle?
As every meningitis negligence claim is unique, it is impossible to predict how long any single case will take to reach a final settlement. Nonetheless, in most circumstances, we would anticipate a claim to take between two and five years to reach a final settlement.
The stance taken by the Defendants can greatly influence the time it takes to complete a claim, as can the availability of relevant medical experts and the overall complexity of your specific case.
Contact our expert meningitis negligence claims solicitors
If you or a loved one has been affected by a meningitis misdiagnosis or mistreatment, and you would like to speak to someone about your options, our team is here to listen and advise your next steps.
Lexcel accredited medical negligence claims solicitors
We are proud to be a Lexcel-accredited practice. The accreditation is a mark of quality and comes directly from the Law Society.
A recent assessment described us as a “Centre of Excellence” and we continue to operate to the highest standards across all main areas of our field. These include client care, case management, financial management, structure and strategy, people management, risk management, information management and file management.
Industry Recognised