COSMETIC SURGERY - CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE COMPENSATION

Over 70,000 people pay over £200,000,000 for cosmetic surgery in the UK every year. The majority of people are satisfied with the results and do not have any cause for complaint. For the unlucky few who are the victims of medical negligence by a surgeon or related health worker lives can be changed forever and for the worse.

The principal insurance company indemnifying doctors for clinical negligence in the United Kingdom is The Medical Defence Union. They publish annual statistics which show that most of these claims are related to breast augmentation and reduction and to facial alterations. Typically these claims are made because clients are dissatisfied with the way they look after cosmetic surgery and feel that the job was not carried out properly. There are also some cases where patients have felt poorly treated prior to their operation including being counselled badly or misinformed and other cases where poor aftercare has resulted in severe infection.

Surgeons working for the NHS must complete a minimum of 6 years specialist training and become members of the BAPRAS (British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons) prior to being permitted to perform operations under the NHS. Many of these BAPRAS surgeons also operate privately and will also be registered with the British Association of Aesthetic Surgeons (BAAS ).

Until 2002 doctors did not need any specialist training in cosmetic surgery in order to perform it legally. This meant that doctors from any medical speciality could convert into being a plastic surgeon without any additional training. Legislation which came into effect on April 1st of 2002 corrects this problem but only affects doctors who are registering on or after that date. This leaves a great number of surgeons still practicing without any specialist qualifications beyond that of a normal doctor.

Patients should be offered the right level of counselling prior to any agreement on cosmetic surgery and should also be afforded a two week ‘cooling off period’ before treatment, to avoid any rushed decisions.

If you feel you did not receive adequate care and attention before, during or after cosmetic surgery our specialists can give you free legal advice today. Legal aid funding is available and our law firms are amongst the very few authorised to apply for public funding on behalf of clients. We also operate the No Win No Fee scheme in appropriate cases and if we do not win your case and receive compensation then you do not pay our charges.

For honest and independent legal advice contact our professionals today. Simply fill in the online contact form and a solicitor will call you. If you have suffered personal injury and you fear you may have been the victim of incompetence there is no time for delay. In order to know your options you should seek expert legal advice as soon as possible. Our solicitors operate a free service whereby you can meet us in person or chat over the telephone with one of our friendly experts and obtain initial advice. If you subsequently decide to proceed no further then that is your right and you will not be charged for our initial advice.