Call Penningtons Manches Cooper on 0800 328 9545 for a free, confidential, no obligation chat with a specialist medical negligence solicitor or contact us here. Visit the medical negligence page on our website to see how we’ve helped other people.
Healthcare in Britain is usually safe and it is rare for anything to go badly wrong, but the worst can happen.
If something has gone wrong with healthcare and it has caused harm to you or a loved one, we are here to listen to you, explain the options available to you, and help you find the support and information you need.
We can give advice on:
As the leading patient safety charity in the UK, we offer a range of services to suit your needs. We are completely independent and rely on volunteers, fundraising, and generous donations from supporters to enable us to help patients and bring about change.
Kate and Chris know only too well how important it is to get independent advice and support when something goes badly wrong.
When their daughter Chloe fell ill, they rushed her to A&E, but were sent home. Hospital staff failed to recognise meningitis, and by the time Chloe got the vital diagnosis it was too late. She died on 28 September, aged just two years and nine months.
Determined to find out what had gone wrong, and to make sure it didn’t happen to another family, Kate and Chris turned to avma for support. With our help, they eventually got the hospital to admit its mistakes and give them a full explanation — and, most importantly, a proper apology.
Kate and Chris feel that even with their considerable determination, they would have got nowhere without avma’s expert support.
Our online self-help guides contain clear and straightforward guidance on topics such as making a complaint, coping with an inquest, raising a concern with a regulator, and making a legal claim for compensation.
Written by legal and medical experts, they will guide you step by step through the information you need.
Our helpline offers a sympathetic ear and specialist advice from our trained volunteers. They will listen to you, advise you of your options, and help to guide you through the process. If appropriate, we can refer you to our inquest or written advice services, or to an accredited clinical negligence solicitor.
Call 0345 123 2352
Lines open Monday to Friday 10am–3:30pm
03 calls cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and must be included in inclusive minutes or there can be a cost per minute. Please note that demand for our helpline is very high and you may not get through first time. We recommend you check out our self-help guides first, which may have the answers you require.
If you need more in-depth support, our written advice service may be able to help. A dedicated advisor can work through your case with you, offering expert advice and support.
This can include advice on taking part in an investigation into the incident, on the potential for a clinical negligence claim and what this involves, and help with professional regulatory matters, such as referring cases to the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, and other bodies.
As with our inquest service, our small team cannot take on every case, but we will always offer you relevant guidance and advice. To contact the service, please complete a new client form.
Our inquest team may be able to support you through an inquest into a loved one’s death. It is a small team and we are not able to accept every case, but even if we can’t offer you our full service, we will try to offer helpful advice and information to guide you through the process.
Our free online solicitor database helps you find an accredited specialist clinical negligence solicitor to help you if you decide to pursue legal action. Search by region, location, or specialist interest and you can be confident that all the solicitors listed are approved and accredited as members of avma’s specialist clinical negligence panel.
We campaign to improve patient safety, access to justice, and the way patients and their families are dealt with after something goes wrong.
We led the campaign for a statutory duty of candour and we continue to be the leading patient voice on patient safety and justice issues.
If you have an issue you think we should be campaigning about, please contact us.