Maybe the treatment you received made you feel worse or perhaps you didn't receive any treatment and felt dismissed or ridiculed. Sometimes an apology is all you need, but in extreme cases you may suspect your set of circumstances requires formal litigation to resolve. This route would mean contacting a highly specialised medical negligence lawyer.
Do you feel confused? How can you find help? Who can advise whether your case is worth the extra worry and energy? If your suffering is minor and only requires a formal complaint, there are a few easy steps you might want to consider following.
The treatment you received wasn't fair or you believe you were ignored instead of treated. This is a kind of medical negligence (or clinical negligence as it is sometimes known) but it may not be a serious one, especially if another visit or talk to your doctor could easily resolve. The quickest and most economical option here is to write a letter to the doctor, nurse or dentist. Ask for an explanation and remember to keep a copy. You'll probably be called for an informal meeting where you'll be able to discuss the situation. Have in mind that if they accept the guilt and apologise, it doesn't mean that you have a valid claim for clinical negligence should you want to take the case further.
If you find an apology and explanation enough, you may have avoided a case of medical negligence. This can actually make the relationship with your team of doctors and/or nurses better, especially if the matter is carried out in a professional and amicable way. Also remember that you can leave comments, good or bad, at the hospital's website.
Nevertheless, if you do peruse this and still believe that nothing has been solved? Should you really take the legal route and consult a medical negligence solicitor? A good idea can be to contact the Patient Advisory Services (PALS) at the hospital concerned. PALS is the replacement service to that which was provided by the CHCs (Community Health Councils) these used to look at your case and refer you to a solicitor where necessary. At the present time it is not 100% clear if PALS will do the same thing.
If you think you might be ready to take your case further, then you should contact a clinical negligence solicitor. Compensation claims of this type might not be easy, but your experienced medical negligence solicitor will take you through the steps.