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Psychiatric Treatment Cases
Claims involving psychiatric treatment obviously need to be handled sensitively. The patient themselves may not be capable of giving instructions and as a result it may be necessary to liaise with a number of other family members.
The sorts of situations where mental health treatment can give rise to clinical negligence claims include:
- delay in the diagnosis or misdiagnosis of psychiatric disorders or illness such as schizophrenia and depression
- problems with psychiatric discharge planning when discharge from hospital was too early or was unsupervised resulting for example in suicide or homicide
- errors in administering treatment including medication
If the patient is not capable of coping with a court case it may be necessary to appoint a litigation friend and in that situation any settlement will require the approval of the court. It may also be necessary to apply to the Court of Protection for a deputy to be appointed to manage the patient’s property and affairs.
Over the years we have dealt with a number of such cases and know the common issues.
To speak to a specialist medical negligence solicitor who can help you with a psychiatric treatment claim or any other type of medical negligence claim contact us today by calling, emailing or filling in our free initial advice form.