Lyme Disease Clinical Negligence

Lyme Disease Clinical Negligence

In some cases Lyme Disease can easily be identified: take for example someone who has been on a walking holiday in woodland and goes to the doctor showing clear signs of a tick bite, such as the bulls-eye rash. Any sensible doctor would look at the situation and suspect early localised Lyme disease which can be treated relatively simply with antibiotics. 

One of the challenges when attempting to diagnose Lyme Disease is that one in three people do not display this rash, and in other situations the tick bite might be in a difficult place to see, so if there is any suspicion at all, a thorough physical examination of the patient’s body should take place.

Failure to accurately diagnose Lyme Disease can be viewed as clinical negligence as the outcome of such a situation can lead to serious pain and suffering on the part of the patient. While doctors can not be expected to pick up on every single possibility, they do have a duty of care to investigate thoroughly any potential medical reason for a patient’s ill-health, and that includes performing appropriate tests if there is any suspicion at all of the patient having contracted Lyme Disease.

Performing tests such as ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) and Western Blot tests can take time and personnel, but if these tests are not carried out to identify or rule out Lyme Disease – more than one test is commonly necessary – then the medical team have not exhausted all possibilities of diagnosis. If the patient then continues to suffer while the disease is not treated, it could be seen that they have been the victim of clinical or medical negligence, and they are likely to be eligible to make a claim for compensation. 

That’s where Universa Law are on hand to help you. We can provide medical experts and specialists to ensure we have the correct information about your treatment, or lack thereof, and we will support you throughout the case, right up until the money is in your account. 

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Lyme Disease claim – either by calling us free on 0800 999 1374, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choosing to discuss your situation. When you contact us you are under no obligation to continue with the case unless you wish to do so.

We’re here to help – contact us today.