Misread Test Result Claims Solicitors

Medical tests and blood tests are important tools for screening and diagnosing health conditions and diseases, and they can play a crucial role in ensuring that you get the right treatment. When you take a test, you expect that your results will be returned promptly, and that they have been recorded accurately.

When this does not happen, and your test results are misread, misinterpreted, or even lost, the consequences can be severe; it can mean a delay in receiving the treatment that you need, and can lead to the unnecessary worsening of health conditions. Maybe you were given the all-clear incorrectly when in fact you urgently needed treatment? Or were you told that you had a condition that you didn’t, causing stress and upset? When you are already worried about your health, it can be very upsetting to then additionally have to deal with an incidence of negligence from people that you trust to help you.

If you feel that your health has suffered as a result of test results being mishandled, you may have grounds to make a claim for medical negligence. We understand that you will be feeling angry and let down if this has happened to you, and you may be wondering if there is a case to answer.

Speak to one of our medical negligence experts – they will listen to what has happened to you, and if they think that you have a case they will work relentlessly to get you the compensation that you deserve.

What can I claim?

If your test results were lost or misread, either by the NHS or a private healthcare provider, you may have grounds to make a claim for compensation for the pain and suffering caused as a result. If, having examined all the information relating to your case, we think that you have good grounds to make a claim, we will make an assessment and determine what to include. What you can claim for will depend on your circumstances; do you now have ongoing health issues, or has your condition worsened as a result? Have you missed work and lost income due to what happened? Do you need further medical treatment or counselling? Have you incurred any other out of pocket expenses as a direct result of what happened?

We will take all of these factors into account when we calculate the amount of compensation that you may be able to claim for. Your solicitor will be able to give you an estimate based on your situation and the impact on you, financial, physical and emotional, that the incident has caused.

If you want to know whether you have a claim, and what you can include in that claim, speak to one of our medical negligence specialists. They will be able to offer guidance and will do everything that they can to help.

What do I need to make a claim for test result negligence?

If you feel that you were failed by a medical professional and that the loss or misinterpretation of your test results was negligent, then you may have grounds to make a claim. In order for a claim of lost or misread test results to be successful, it is necessary to demonstrate that:

• The medical practitioner, whether that be a GP, dentist or clinician, showed negligence in their handling or incorrect interpretation of the test results. Their actions must have fallen short of the standard expected from a trained healthcare professional.
• That you have suffered harm as a direct result of their negligence.

It is important to be aware that a misinterpretation of test results is not always evidence of a misdiagnosis; some conditions can be notoriously difficult to diagnose and even the most experienced health care professionals can make an incorrect diagnosis.

If you have lost a family member as a result of a diagnostic error, or a relative is not able to make a claim themselves, you may be able to make a claim on their behalf. If you have suffered and are thinking of making a claim, it is important to seek the help of experienced medical negligence experts.

At SDS we have knowledgeable specialists who can guide you through the process, giving you the best possible legal advice at every stage of the process. If you have any queries about whether you are able to make a claim for a lost or misread test result, one of our experts will be happy to advise you.

Initial advice is free so you have nothing to lose – but act quickly in case time limits apply.  If you'd like more detailed information about the claims process you can read our guide on how to start a medical negligence claim.

When should I make a claim?

In the UK, there is a three-year time limit on making a claim for personal injury and clinical negligence cases. Generally speaking, this starts from the date of the incident – however if the harm caused did not become apparent until afterwards, that time limit will start from that point, the “date of knowledge.”

If you are wondering whether your lost or misread tests constitutes a medical negligence claim, speak to us as soon as possible. Each year thousands of people miss out on the chance of compensation because they wait too long to claim – we will promptly investigate your case so that you’ll know if you have good cause to make a claim.

How can negligence occur with lost or misread tests?

Test results being misread or incorrectly interpreted, or samples and tests being lost as a result of negligent practices are the cause of thousands of claims each year. It is particularly serious, as any errors concerning test results can cause a patient’s treatment to either be delayed or incorrect which can have a detrimental effect on their health and overall prognosis. In extreme instances, negligence of this nature has directly caused the deaths of patients who could have survived if their condition had been diagnosed and treated correctly.

Sometimes it may be difficult to correctly interpret a test when the results are unclear or inconclusive. However, there are numerous ways that a test can be mislaid or misinterpreted in ways that are completely avoidable, including:

• test results being mislaid
• errors due to failures in administration, such as poor handwriting or incorrectly labelled samples or tests being mixed up
• errors in IT systems making it difficult to access results or patient records
• a failure to record important and relevant information, such as medical history or allergies.

Misread test results

If your test results are misread or misinterpreted either in the laboratory or by a healthcare professional, you are at risk of being misdiagnosed. Blood tests can be an extremely useful diagnostic tool, but only if the results are read correctly.

If test results are misread, you may be incorrectly told that you do not have an illness, when in fact you do, or you may be misdiagnosed with a condition that you do not have. This can result in you being incorrectly treated for a condition you do not have or going without treatment that you urgently need to recover. As well as the physical harm caused, misdiagnosis can be psychologically damaging, causing untold stress and suffering. In extreme cases misdiagnosis can be fatal as patients fail to get the treatment that they need.

Mixed up test results

There are stringent measures and procedures in place to ensure that test results are processed and handled accurately, but despite all of this, there are still occasions where mistakes happen. In recent years laboratory errors have been reported in the news with patients receiving the wrong blood test results, with some patients mistakenly believing that they had cancer for several years or being treated for serious illnesses that they turned out not to have. The psychological impact of a wrongful diagnosis due to the mixing up of test results can be immense, leading to depression, anxiety and PTSD. Where psychological injury can be demonstrated as a result of negligence, it is possible to claim for damages for this, in additional to any physical damages caused.

Lost test results

When you take a test, whether it be a blood test or another type of diagnostic test, it is sent for analysis, and your results should then be returned to you or doctor promptly. If a mistake is made and your results go missing for any reason, you will need to restart the process and wait to be tested again. This can mean that time is wasted and any treatment that you may need ends up being delayed. This can directly impact on your health, leading to the unnecessary worsening of your condition.

Why choose us?

As leading medical negligence specialists with over 20 years of experience, we fully understand what you are going through if you have suffered because of lost or misread test results. We know the challenges that you will be facing, and we have the tools and resources to help you to get the recompense that you deserve.

We will examine your case, determining whether a failure has been made in your treatment that constitutes negligence. We will seek to establish whether the healthcare professional who treated you took all the steps that they should have done to ensure that they received the correct results and analysed them carefully and responsibly. If we agree that what happened to you was indeed as a result of negligence, we will assess the damage that has been done as a result, factoring in the physical, psychological and financial impact of the error.

We will be with you all the way from your initial enquiry to the conclusion of your claim, working tirelessly to ensure that you get the help that you need. We always aim to settle a case swiftly and effectively, but if it becomes necessary to go to court, we will represent you tenaciously and will fight to get you the best possible outcome.

When you choose SDS, you choose legal experts with the skills and experience to give you the best possible chance for your medical negligence claim, and we will support you every step of the way. 

We are based in Manchester, but we help clients throughout England and Wales; speak to one of our team of recognised clinical negligence claims experts for advice if you think that you may have a case. Our initial consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose, but act quickly in case time limits apply.

Contact us

Established in Manchester in 1997, we are a leading specialist medical negligence, accident at work and personal injury law firm acting for claimants nationwide.

Our expert medical negligence solicitors regularly act for clients across Greater Manchester including Ashton, Bury, Bolton, Radcliffe, Prestwich, Middleton, Failsworth, Rochdale, Oldham and Whitefield.

Our team of recognised Lost or Misread Test Claims Solicitors can support your needs wherever you live in Wales, England & Northern Ireland.

Call us for free now using the number at the top of the page or complete the online contact form and a member of our team will get back to you.