Eligibility information tool

Were you under the care of a healthcare professional in the UK (NHS or private)?

There must be a duty of care — that arises whenever a clinician takes you on as a patient.

Do you believe the care you received fell below an acceptable standard?

The legal test is the Bolam standard (refined by Bolitho): would a responsible body of clinicians in the same field have acted differently?

Did you suffer additional injury, illness or worsening of a condition as a result?

There must be measurable harm — being upset about poor care, without injury, is not enough for a compensation claim (a complaint may still be appropriate).

Would a different / earlier treatment, on the balance of probabilities, have avoided that harm?

This is the causation test — it is what stops most claims and is what medical experts spend the most time on.

Did the negligent treatment happen within the last 3 years (or, for a child, before they turned 18)?

The Limitation Act 1980 gives most claimants 3 years from the negligence or date of knowledge. Use the time-limit checker for an exact answer.