Hospital negligence is when a hospital or medical professional fails to provide the standard of care they are required to. In the UK, this is governed by the NHS Act 2006 which sets out the standard of care that patients should expect.
The NHS Act defines negligence as ‘failing to provide services with reasonable skill and care’. This means that if you are injured during your treatment and it was not due to your own fault (for example if you tripped over something in your room), then it may be possible for you to claim compensation from those responsible for your injuries.
Types of Hospital Negligence
There are a number of different types of negligence that can result in compensation for hospital patients. The most common is medical negligence, which occurs when a doctor or other member of the medical team fails to follow best practice and causes harm as a result. Nursing negligence refers to similar actions by nurses and other staff members who provide patient care. Hospital administration negligence refers to situations where an organization has failed to take reasonable steps to prevent harm from occurring (e.g., failing to ensure there are enough staff available). Medical equipment negligence refers specifically to cases where medical devices such as pacemakers or catheters have malfunctioned or broken down due their design being faulty or inappropriate for use on certain patients–this type does not cover damages resulting from failures during surgery itself (see our section on surgical errors below). Pharmacy errors may occur when drugs prescribed by doctors are incorrectly dispensed; security breaches could also lead someone else accessing your records without permission if they had access credentials allowing them access within the hospital building itself
