We've got your skin cancer claim covered
Skin cancer affects over 16,000 a year in the UK, yet has a high survival rate when caught in the earliest stage. Without an early diagnosis or correct treatment, skin cancer can progress and the outcome be much worse. If you’ve experienced an incorrect or late diagnosis, or received substandard care that has worsened your condition, we want to help you get your life back on track and receive the compensation you’re entitled to
Making a skin cancer compensation claim
Making a claim for medical negligence can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re already dealing with cancer. However, our medical negligence experts will manage the claim for you and handle your case with care and compassion from the very first call to the final settlement. An initial consultation will help us to determine if you have a case and from there we will:
- Tell you how much you may be entitled to
- Assign an expert lawyer to guide you through the entire process
- Investigate thoroughly to make sure we get the maximum compensation
- Take your skin cancer claim on a No Win No Fee basis so you don’t pay a penny up front
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What is a skin cancer compensation claim?
All medical professionals have a duty of care when diagnosing and treating patients. Any failure to provide adequate care is a breach of this duty and could be considered medical negligence. If there was a delay in the diagnosis or treatment of your skin cancer, and your skin cancer got worse because of this delay then this could be a case of medical negligence and you may be entitled to make a skin cancer compensation claim. You can make a claim for medical negligence no matter when it happened, from early appointments through to treatment. We have helped patients just like you claim for medical negligence at any time during their skin cancer diagnosis.
- Initial appointments – if a GP has not sent your for tests or ignored your concerns
- Referrals – any avoidable delays in referring you to a specialist or the correct test not being carried out at your referral appointment
- Diagnosis – you may have been misdiagnosed with a different illness or had your skin cancer staged incorrectly
- Treatment – this could include being prescribed the wrong course of treatment or one that was not aggressive enough, or too invasive for your particular cancer.
The impact of a skin cancer misdiagnosis can not only affect the outcome of your condition, but have a devastating effect on you and your loved ones. Which is why we are here to help you make a claim.
Types of skin cancer claims
There are three main types of skin cancer and a misdiagnosis, or medical negligence, can happen no matter what type of skin cancer you have.
- Basal cell carcinoma – usually shows as a bump on the skin which can look different in every patient.
- Squamous cell carcinoma – about 20 out of every 100 skin cancers is a squamous cell carcinoma and they usually show up in areas exposed to the sun.
- Melanoma – anecdotally the skin cancer we hear about most and the 5th most common cancer in the UK
Although each skin cancer may present with different signs and symptoms, all concerns should be properly investigated. If your GP suspects skin cancer, they will need to decide whether to refer you to a specialist and in some cases, an urgent referral might be required. In England, if an urgent suspected cancer referral is made, you should see a specialist within 2 weeks.
Signs and symptoms of skin cancer
Survival rates for stage 1 skin cancer are, on average, 93% compared to 53% when diagnosed at stage 4. This is why early detection, diagnosis and treatment is vital. If the signs are missed, or you were not sent for the correct tests after an initial appointment, your skin cancer could have become more advanced. Signs and symptoms include:
- A new mark on your skin that doesn’t go away, is unusual in shape or does not stop growing
- A spot that is oozing or bleeding, or is scabby and doesn’t heal
- A mark or cut that bleeds without being touched
- Red or swollen moles
- Misshapen moles
- Itchiness or pain on your skin that doesn’t go away
The only way to fully determine if you have skin cancer is with a biopsy. If you had any of these signs or symptoms and were not referred for a biopsy, you may have a claim for skin cancer compensation.
How do I know if I can claim?
It can be hard to understand if you are able to make a skin cancer compensation claim. In order to do so, it must be proven that any medical negligence had a direct impact on your skin cancer, either by making it worse or delaying treatment. We have helped thousands of clients claim compensation for skin cancer negligence. Examples of the most common claims are:
- Missed symptoms or failure to recognise skin cancer symptoms, leading to a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
- Failure to make a fast and appropriate referral to a specialist
- Avoidable complications during treatment and care
- A negligent error in the diagnosing and staging of cancer
- Misinterpreted test results
- Misdiagnosis, where patients are diagnosed with the wrong type of cancer or do not have cancer
If you have experienced the damaging consequences of a skin cancer misdiagnosis, or any other kind of negligent care, we can explain if you have a claim and take you through your case step by step.
What can I expect?
Skin cancer is a very serious condition and treatment and recovery can be invasive. If your skin cancer could have been treated earlier and you have suffered avoidable consequences, compensation can help you to:
- Recoup any loss of earnings from time taken off work
- Pay for unexpected costs, like travel to and from appointments
- Access private healthcare or rehabilitation services
- Fund therapy or counselling for the pain and distress you have suffered
- Any aids or prosthesis if skin cancer has led to loss of mobility or amputation
There are no set figures for a skin cancer compensation settlement as every case will vary. Instructing a medical negligence lawyer to handle your case will ensure you get the maximum amount of compensation to help you recover or access support as quickly as possible.
Why Choose Us?
With a team of over 100 lawyers and 30 years experience in medical negligence, we can be trusted to handle your skin cancer claim. We have helped thousands of clients just like you all over the UK. Our experience includes not just NHS trusts but private clinics and institutions too. Many solicitors will cover a range of accident and injury claims; at Patient Claim Line we only take on medical negligence cases so that we can be the best at what we do, and help every person who has experienced misdiagnosis or malpractice, to get the compensation they deserve.
No Win No Fee Skin Cancer Claims
Every case we take on is on a no win no fee basis no matter what the circumstances. Not only do you have complete peace of mind knowing that you needn’t pay a penny upfront, but you also won’t pay anything if we do not win your case. Any fees you do eventually pay will be explained at the beginning of your claim to make sure you are happy. We may also apply for interim payments as part of your compensation claim, to help you with costs or financial stress arising from your skin cancer diagnosis.
Skin Cancer Support
If you or a loved one is suffering with a recent skin cancer diagnosis, it is important to seek support and make sure that you don’t have to suffer alone. A good starting point would be to access resources from Cancer Research UK Skin Cancer Support or Macmillan Skin Cancer Support and Information . For local support, you can use the NHS Cancer Support Services.
Skin Cancer Compensation FAQs
Meet the team
Peter Rigby
Director of Medical Negligence Serious Injury
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.
Email meWhy Choose Patient Claim Line for your Medical Misdiagnosis 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.
Meet the medical negligence team
Peter Rigby
Director of Medical Negligence Serious Injury
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.
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Christian Beadell
Head of Medical Negligence
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.
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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.
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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.
Email meVincent's Story
"He's always there for us"
At the age of 2 we noticed our son Vincent had trouble with his hearing. We had this testing over a number of years and were repeatedly told there was nothing wrong.
Initially we thought this was a speech and language problem, this wasn't the case. It took 4 to 5 years of assessments, with the constant response that there was nothing wrong with his hearing. A different test was them carried on Vincent overnight where it was found he was profoundly deaf.
After years of frustration we were finally able to provide Vincent with the support he required and received an implant. This has enable Vincent to be able to hear. The support from our solicitors has enabled to to gain access to specialist which have supported Vincent in closing the gap in his speech he lost out on to his peers.