We trust medical professionals to act in our best interests, especially for patients with mental illnesses who can’t always advocate for their own needs. If you believe a health worker or facility hasn’t adequately treated you or your loved one’s mental illness, you may have a mental health negligence claim for compensation.
When an individual first starts to develop symptoms of a physical or mental illness, seeking treatment from a trusted doctor or healthcare professional is often the first point of call. Healthcare professionals have the expertise and responsibility to make a diagnosis based on the patterns of symptoms and develop a treatment plan to support their patient; which is especially important for patients who may not understand their own needs due to suffering from a mental illness.
If there is a breakdown in this process or a lack of adequate care and treatment, it can be distressing for you or your loved ones. This mental health negligence can have a detrimental impact on the patient’s quality of life and often prolong their suffering.
Common examples of mental health negligence:
- Misdiagnosis of a mental illness
- Failure to implement an adequate treatment plan
- Failure to diagnose and treat a physical health issue of a mentally unwell patient
Medical negligence compensation claims
Medical negligence, or medical malpractice, describes an act or omission by a medical facility or practitioner that causes injury or harm to a person that is under their care.
In order to bring a claim for medical negligence for mentally unwell patients, the care or treatment needs to be proven to fall below the accepted standard of practice in Australia.
Although bringing a claim for compensation can never make up for what happened, it may assist you to secure continuous support and a better quality of life for the individual. Our experienced medical negligence lawyers will be able to provide you with tailored advice on your legal rights and help you through each step of the claims process to access the compensation you deserve.
To find out if you have a mental health negligence claim for compensation, contact Shine Lawyers for a confidential and obligation-free discussion of your options.
Learn more about the legal claims process and how you can access compensation with our simple, step-by-step guide to compensation claims below.
No Win, No Fee lawyers
At Shine, we believe that everyone has the right to stand up against injustice regardless of their financial situation. We provide our medical negligence services on a No Win No Fee basis, so you or your loved ones don’t have to worry about out-of-pocket legal expenses. If your claim is successful, the fees will be determined by the amount of work required to bring the claim.
