Accident and Emergency (A&E) Negligence Claims

Reviewed by
Peter Rigby, Director of Medical Neglience

We've got your A&E claim covered

  • No win, no fee
  • Not just lawyers - real specialists
  • No obligation
  • UK's highest-rated medical negligence solicitors

Accident and Emergency (A&E) Negligence Claims

The ability to get access to high-quality medical care in an emergency situation is a necessary component of the UK healthcare system. As such, the Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments of hospitals around the country are meant to serve patients who are experiencing serious or life-threatening injuries or illnesses. More than 1.75 million patients are seen in the A&E department each and every month, making it the busiest, and arguably, the most error-prone division of the country’s healthcare system.

While most experience quality medical care and attention while visiting the A&E department for treatment of a critical injury or illness, others are not so fortunate. Because of the often hectic scene, patients have the potential to endure A&E negligence by way of additional injuries or illnesses due to lack of proper care, misdiagnosis, or undiagnosed issues. Despite the fast pace of A&E departments, you are still entitled to the best medical care available. When that isn’t received, you may have cause for an A&E claim to offset your financial losses and regain peace of mind.

We're the highest-rated No Win No Fee medical negligence solictors on Trustpilot



Types of A&E Negligence Claims

We manage a variety of A&E negligence claims each month, with each patient’s experience different from the next. However, there are a number of claims common to A&E which can cause long-lasting damage that is hard to overcome alone. These A&E claim types include:

  • Misdiagnosed bone fractures
  • Incorrect medication
  • Incorrect treatment
  • Delayed treatment
  • Hospital infections
  • Inadequate patient examination
  • Inadequate medical investigation
  • Misinterpreting exam or test results
  • Inadequate postoperative care

In addition to the common claim types that arise due to A&E negligence, you may also face a complete failure to treat when visiting the hospital for an emergency medical situation. Some patients are sent home before being seen by an A&E doctor, or far too early given their symptoms and underlying medical issues. When this happens, you may be eligible for an A&E claim for compensation if further injury or illness was sustained due to being turned away.

Who pays for A&E Negligence Claims?

Bringing a claim for A&E negligence means you have suffered additional injury or illness due to poor-quality care while visiting the A&E department of a hospital. Fortunately, there is no financial risk to you or your family because we work on a no win, no fee basis. For each claim, compensation ranges greatly depending on several factors, but most likely will include the costs associated with the following outcomes:

  • Pain and suffering related to your additional illness or injury
  • Loss of earnings, including income you would have otherwise received in the future if it weren’t for your additional injury or illness
  • Additional expenses you must pay to receive ongoing care or treatment
  • The cost of medical treatment
  • Compensation for psychological damage based on the severity of your A&E claims

Over the past five years, medical mistakes have cost the health care system in the UK more than £4.5 billion, with the majority of that astonishing cost paying for compensation to injured patients and their families. A&E negligence has the potential to cost you and your loved ones a great deal. However, we work with you through the claims process to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

What can I expect when I make a Claim?

The thought of starting the claims process for A&E negligence may be overwhelming initially. However, making A&E claims for medical mistakes is something we do each day to help individuals get the compensation and answers they deserve. It is in your best interest to contact us for legal advice regarding your specific experience so we can advise you on the most appropriate next steps for your situation.

Individuals who decide making an A&E negligence claim is the best course of action have a three-year time limit on when a compensation claim can be completed. This means that as soon as you realise negligence has taken place in the form of misdiagnosis, additional illness or injury, an infection from your hospital visit, or lack of treatment, you must speak with an A&E claims expert as soon as you are able. Our highly-qualified solicitors are available to speak with you or a loved one via phone or through a simple contact form online without any financial risk to you.

Our Experience of Covering A&E Claims

We work with one in 10 medical negligence claims made throughout the UK, and have years of experience in providing the legal advice and guidance patients and their families need in an incredibly stressful time. One of the biggest issues surrounding A&E claims brought about by medical negligence is the fact that medical providers are not keen on providing the information you need to understand what truly took place. Instead of clear and open lines of communication, most A&E departments are quick to avoid owning up to mistakes that may have caused additional illness or injury. At Patient Claim Line, we understand your need for getting that crucial information in addition to your due compensation.

Information We need to Process your A&E Negligence Claim

With an A&E claim, it is important for us to understand what happened by listening to your experience. If you’re not sure you have reason for an A&E claim, you can take our simple 30 second claim test online and one of our specialists will reach out to discuss your circumstances. You may also speak with our team over the phone or by submitting a claim form online.

Once we’ve determined that you do have a case that involves negligence, we will gather the right information so that we may further understand the specifics of your experience. We also document the details of what happened, the date of the incident(s), and any steps you have taken independently to reduce your losses, like continuing treatment per the doctor’s orders. From the start, we offer our assistance on a no win no fee basis, meaning there is no financial risk in reaching out for help. Contact us either online or via phone today if you think you have an A&E negligence claim for compensation.

How to make a medical negligence claim against my local trust?

As one of the largest and oldest national institutions for medical care, the National Health Service (NHS) plays a significant role in treating millions of patients each year. NHS trusts offer a variety of services to patients, therefore there are countless areas where NHS negligence can take place. We work with a staggering number of NHS compensation claims on any given day, with the most common areas where things go awry including surgical negligence, prescription errors and medical misdiagnosis.

Individuals trust the NHS to provide medical care for an array of health needs, including routine screenings, treatments for mild to severe long-term conditions, emergency services and prescriptions. Given the breadth of care services offered at NHS trusts, it is not surprising that things can – and do – go wrong.

Patient Claim Line has helped thousands of claimants in the UK bring cases against their local NHS trusts. Find out if your trust is listed in our local claims guides and see if you can make a claim below:

  • Your contact details

    Details of your claim

    Don't worry about including all details at this stage. Our experts will ask for any further information they require when they contact you.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Why Choose Patient Claim Line for your A&E claim?


Not just lawyers — medical negligence experts

Patient Claim Line was established in 2014 and consists of a team of medical lawyers specialising in medical negligence and misdiagnosis claims.

At Patient Claim Line we have more than 100 solicitors with combined experience of over 400 years and they will work on your behalf to achieve the best result possible for you.

It's not enough to use a solicitor who sometimes covers medical negligence. You need someone who knows this area through and through. That is what the solicitors here at Patient Claim Line do. They deal exclusively in this area of law and are experts in the field.


Frequently asked questions about A&E claims

Our expert legal team answer your questions about making an A&E claim


Meet our medical negligence team

Peter Rigby

Peter Rigby
Director of Medical Negligence

Peter leads the Medical Negligence Serious Injury department, which now boasts some of our most knowledgeable, dedicated and hardworking team members.

Peter is dedicated to supporting victims of catastrophic medical negligence injuries and endeavours to provide a clear and coherent approach to claims. He recognises the effects serious injuries can have and therefore ensures his customers’ need for support is met. Peter also has a vast amount of experience working with customers who have been injured abroad and is able to act under international law to provide the best outcomes.

Read profile
Christian Beadell

Christian Beadell
Head of Group Action

Christian is Head of Medical Negligence at Patient Claim Line and has specialised in clinical negligence claims since qualifying in 1998; having dealt with a wide variety of claims throughout his career. He is also featured in the Legal 500 as a recommended claimant solicitor in the North West.

Christian qualified as a solicitor in 1998, specialising in clinical negligence. From 2010 onward he has had a particular interest in gynaecological and urogynaecological claims, having represented several hundred claimants in the George Rowland Litigation against the Liverpool Women’s and Aintree Hospitals. This investigated the treatment given to women in the Merseyside area over several decades, and in particular focused on the introduction and development of mesh into the UK in both the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. The development of this area involved pursuing claims under a unique ADR protocol with the NHS and also looking to develop the current thinking on the valuation of compensation for complex urinary symptoms. He has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation on behalf of my clients.

Christian was also involved in setting up and chairing a Claimant Support Group for those involved in the Rowland litigation, which provided a discussion forum for the many women who were left isolated and damaged by negligent gynaecological treatment. He now co-ordinates the firm’s mesh claims and has delivered training and commented extensively on the medico-legal implications of urogynaecological / mesh complications. He is a member of APIL, Liverpool Law Society and Legal 500 recommended.

Read profile
Francesca Paul

Francesca Paul
Associate Solicitor

Francesca Paul is an Associate, Senior Solicitor and Team Leader within the Clinical Negligence Department.  She is one of the driving Solicitors in the Group Litigation Team dealing with this niche and specialist area of work that Fletchers undertakes.   

Francesca previously worked in Nottingham, dealing with Group Action work.  She now works at Fletchers, bringing with her those years of experience heading up a team of 10 people.  Francesca is involved in the early identification of potential new Group Litigation Work and analyses information from the collective pool of new enquiries into the business, of which there are hundreds per week looking for hot spots or recurrent issues which might suggest a potential pool of Claimants.   

One of the highlights for Francesca and her team is that they have successfully recovered over a million pounds in compensation for clients who have received treatment from a single orthopaedic surgeon who was operating in the Colchester area.  Her role requires a specific set of skills, patience and a forensic approach to detail whilst being able to see the wider picture.   

Francesca has previously acted for a claimant in a case that reached the Supreme Court in the case of NA v Nottinghamshire County Council. 

Read profile
Sion Wynne

Sion Wynne
Team Leader/Senior Solicitor

Sion is a team leader and senior solicitor with many years’ experience in dealing with a wide range of medical specialisms and different types of injuries. He is an experienced medical negligence solicitor and manages a team of lawyers within our department.

Sion joined Fletchers in 2018 as a Team Leader in the Medical Negligence Department. Throughout his 24 year legal career, he has specialised in conducting medical negligence claims on behalf of Claimants, previously working for other highly ranked leading firms in the field.

He has undertaken claims covering the full spectrum of medical specialisms, clinical settings, categories of defendant and types of negligent medical care and treatment.
These include high value and complex maximum severity cases, such as those involving limb amputations and permanent neurological injuries.

Sion is experienced at representing bereaved families at inquests and has a particular interest in fatal accident claims.

Read profile

Case Study

Sarah's Story

"Now we have peace of mind"

My husband, Nick, went back and forth to the doctors for a long time and tried everything the doctor recommended. But his illness got worse, to the point that he was in agony.

In the end we got so desperate that we asked for a referral. The doctor was reluctant, so we had to consult a private hospital. That’s when we found out there was a tumour. It took years from the onset of his illness to finally start cancer treatment.

He used to be a man with a lot to live for, but in the end he was in so much pain that he withdrew from the family. He became angry that nobody had helped him sooner, and the legal team were able to give him the validation that he was desperately seeking. The NHS confirmed if they had done more, Nick would still be alive today.

You don’t have to go through this alone – take the first step now