Paramedic Negligence Claims

Paramedics are healthcare professionals trained to provide emergency medical care, evaluate people with illnesses and injuries and transport patients to the hospital. Like all other healthcare providers, they have a legal duty of care to provide a reasonable standard of care and possess the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent avoidable harm.

While the care provided by paramedics in the UK is typically of a high standard, mistakes can sometimes occur. These include failure to diagnose a life-threatening condition, delayed transfer to the hospital, medication errors and incorrect resuscitation manoeuvres. Such types of negligence can have devastating consequences for patients, and, in severe cases, they can even be fatal.

If you or a loved one received substandard care from a paramedic, you may be eligible to make a paramedic negligence claim and receive compensation for your pain and suffering. To find out if you have a valid case, do not hesitate to call 0800 470 0474 for a free consultation or enter your details here to request a call back.

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Table of Contents

• Duty of care of paramedics towards patients
• Am I eligible to make a paramedic negligence claim?
• Examples of paramedic and ambulance negligence
• What could be the consequences of paramedic negligence?
• Can I make a paramedic negligence claim on behalf of a loved one?
• Can I make a medical negligence claim against the NHS?
• Claims for paramedic negligence that result in death
• What evidence will I need to support my paramedic negligence claim?
• How long do I have to make an ambulance or paramedic negligence claim?
• How much compensation can I claim for an injury caused by paramedic negligence?
• Do medical negligence solicitors offer a No Win No Fee service?

Duty of care of paramedics towards patients

Paramedics have a legal and professional duty towards those needing their services. This duty of care aims to ensure that patients receive a reasonable standard of care during emergencies, transport to the hospital and any other situations where paramedics are responsible for their treatment.

To ensure good care, they must follow the strict guidelines published by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and other similar bodies, which include:

• Perform accurate assessments and take timely actions to prevent harm.
• Deliver appropriate treatments.
• Act in the best interests of the patient.
• Respond to emergencies promptly and efficiently.
• Prioritise emergencies according to the Ambulance Response Programme.
• Safely transport patients to the hospital if necessary.
• Obtain informed consent before proceeding with treatment if the patient has the mental capacity to make decisions.
• Take the steps needed to avoid causing additional harm to their patients.
• Communicate clearly with patients, relatives, and other healthcare professionals to ensure coordinated and effective care.
• Keep records of the care provided, including assessments and treatments.

Am I eligible to make a paramedic negligence claim?

If you believe that the care you received from paramedics was substandard, you should contact a medical negligence solicitor as soon as possible. They will ask you a few questions about your situation and investigate your case to determine if the following can be established:

• A duty of care. As mentioned above, all paramedics have a legal duty to provide patients with a reasonable standard of care.
• A breach of duty. Negligence occurs when a paramedic’s actions fall below the standard expected of a competent and knowledgeable professional in their position. Examples include failure to assess or monitor vital signs, administering the wrong medication or delaying transport to the hospital.
• Causation. It is not enough to show that a paramedic breached their duty of care. You must also prove that this breach directly led to an injury or caused your condition to worsen. For example, a paramedic has failed to immobilise your spine after a suspected injury, and this has led to permanent paralysis.
• Damages. The final step is to show that the negligent paramedic care caused you to suffer damages. These can include physical and emotional suffering, as well as financial losses.

If all these elements can be established, an experienced personal injury solicitor can help you seek compensation for the harm you suffered due to the substandard paramedic care.

Examples of paramedic and ambulance negligence

Some examples of paramedic negligence for which a solicitor could help you claim compensation include:

• Failing to arrive at the scene promptly in life-threatening emergencies.
• Not arriving at all to provide patient care after a 999 call.
• Failing to provide treatment in time or not providing treatment at all.
• Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of a medical condition.
• Administering the wrong medicine or wrong dose.
• Not having the necessary medical equipment to deal with an emergency.
• Dropping or mishandling patients while providing medical care.
• Failing to recognise the symptoms of a life-threatening condition such as internal bleeding.
• Incorrect resuscitation procedures.
• Deciding not to transport a critically ill patient to the hospital.
• Neglecting to monitor vital signs while transporting the patient to the hospital.

These and other similar types of medical negligence cases can be caused by various factors, such as inadequate training, failure to follow established protocols, fatigue and burnout.

What could be the consequences of paramedic negligence?

Negligent paramedic care can have severe and potentially life-threatening consequences, such as:

• Increased risk of a permanent brain or spinal cord injury.
• Allergic reactions to medications.
• An infection that advances to life-threatening sepsis.
• Permanent physical or mental disabilities.
• Worsening of medical conditions, causing long-term complications or irreversible damage.
• Unnecessary emotional pain and mental anguish.
• A stroke, heart attack or cardiac arrest.
• The need to amputate a body part due to prolonged lack of blood flow.
• Avoidable injuries caused by mishandling or incorrect use of equipment.
• The loss of a loved one due to a wrongful death.

This list is not exhaustive, and you can suffer many other injuries if you receive inadequate treatment or medication from paramedics. In such cases, a specialist solicitor may be able to assist you with making a personal injury claim for compensation.

Can I make a paramedic negligence claim on behalf of a loved one?

You may be eligible to claim on behalf of someone else if they have suffered an injury or illness due to paramedic negligence and are a child under 18. You can also claim for an adult who is a protected party under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, meaning they have suffered a brain injury or have a pre-existing condition such as Down syndrome.

To claim on behalf of a child or somebody else, you must first apply to the court to be named as their litigation friend. This process involves confirming that:

• You can make fair and competent decisions.
• You have no conflict of interest with the individual you wish to represent.

Once approved, you will help your appointed solicitor gather the evidence needed to support the claim. You will also have several other duties, such as:

• Sign legal documents
• Make decisions about the case
• Pay any fees requested by the court
• Consider settlement offers from the defendant
• Make sure your loved one attends all medical appointments

If compensation is awarded, your solicitor can help you set up a personal injury trust on their behalf so that it does not affect their eligibility for state benefits.

Can I make a medical negligence claim against the NHS?

Yes. You are well within your rights to start a claim against the NHS if you have suffered due to negligence on their part. While the NHS paramedics and ambulance services typically offer excellent care, mistakes can sometimes occur and cause avoidable injuries to patients. Anyone who has suffered unnecessary harm is entitled to make a negligence claim for compensation against the NHS.

To do this, you should start by filing a complaint with the relevant NHS Trust and contacting an experienced solicitor. They will assess your case and help you gather all the necessary evidence to get you the compensation you deserve.

Once they have relevant proof, they will file your claim with NHS Resolution, an independent Department of Health and Social Care agency. NHS Resolution will review your claim and, if liability is established, may offer you a settlement. If liability is denied, your lawyer may proceed to argue your case in court.

You should not feel guilty about making a medical negligence claim against the NHS, as the compensation awarded to you will not come out of the funds allocated for patient care. Furthermore, your claim could help improve medical services and avoid similar occurrences in the future.

Claims for paramedic negligence that result in death

Unfortunately, a delayed or negligent paramedic response can sometimes lead to the loss of a loved one. Examples include:

• Misinterpreting the symptoms of a condition such as a stroke, heart attack or sepsis.
• Delayed response to a medical emergency, such as severe bleeding or an obstructed airway.
• Failure to administer life-saving medicine such as epinephrine for anaphylaxis.

If you have lost a loved one as a result of medical negligence, you may be entitled to make a claim. Under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976, you can pursue compensation if you are classified as their dependent (for example, you are their spouse, child, civil partner or parent). In this case, you could claim the following:

• Compensation for the financial support the deceased provided to you, such as lost wages, bonuses and investments;
• Loss of services, which are non-financial contributions to the household, such as property maintenance and childcare;
• Reasonable costs associated with their funeral and burial or cremation;
• Damages for the pain and suffering they endured prior to their death;
• Financial losses incurred by your loved one before passing away, such as medical bills and lost wages;
• A limited number of dependents can also claim bereavement damages of £15,120 as recognition of the wrongful death and their grief.

What evidence will I need to support my paramedic negligence claim?

You will need various types of evidence to make a successful claim and get the compensation you deserve. This could include the following:

• Photographs of your initial injuries and the harm caused by the negligent care offered by the medical professionals.
• Phone records of your call to the ambulance service.
• Medical records detailing your initial injury or condition and the treatment you received from the paramedics;
• Any additional records that detail how the substandard care has affected you and the corrective treatments you received;
• A report from a specialist who can confirm whether there was a breach of duty, how this has affected you and your future care needs;
• Statements from witnesses who were with you or called 999 for you, rode with you in the ambulance or accompanied you to further medical appointments;
• Your testimony about the experience and how it has affected your life;
• You also need proof of any financial losses and expenses incurred due to medical negligence, such as receipts and payslips.

How long do I have to make an ambulance or paramedic negligence claim?

In most cases you have three years to make an ambulance or paramedic negligence claim, starting from either of the following dates:

• The date you received the substandard treatment.
• The date your injury or condition was diagnosed and linked to the negligent care (the date of knowledge).

According to the Limitation Act 1980, your case will be time-barred if you miss the three-year deadline. Only in exceptional cases will the court allow an extension of the claim limitation date based on the length and reason for your delay. There are, however, a few exceptions to the standard three-year limitation date:

• If your child suffered an injury as a result of negligent paramedic care, you could make a child injury claim on their behalf any time before their 18th birthday.
• If the claimant lacks the mental capacity to handle a legal case (due to a brain injury or a condition such as Down syndrome or Dementia), a litigation friend could represent them without a time limit.
• If you lost a loved one due to clinical negligence, you could claim compensation within three years from the date they passed away.

How much compensation can I claim for an injury caused by paramedic negligence?

The compensation payment for a medical negligence claim will differ from case to case, depending on the specific losses incurred by the claimant. It will be calculated based on two types of damages:

• General damages cover the pain, suffering and loss of amenities caused by the negligent care. These can include physical and mental anguish, disabilities, scarring and disfigurement, reduced quality of life and loss of companionship.
• Special damages cover the related financial losses, such as care costs, further medical treatments, loss of earnings and mobility aids.

Based on our compensation calculator and the Judicial College guidelines, you could receive the following awards:

• £25,380 to £32,090 for loss of spleen
• £66,920 to £141,240 for severe psychiatric damage affecting all aspects of your life
• £267,340 to £346,890 for paralysis
• £12,000 to £300,000 for a wrongful death
• £267,340 to £344,150 for incorrect treatment leading to severe brain damage

Do medical negligence solicitors offer a No Win No Fee service?

If you have a valid paramedic negligence compensation claim, you will be offered a 100% no win no fee service by the solicitors we work with. This way of funding a personal injury claim allows you access to legal representation regardless of your financial situation and without taking any risks.

The no win no fee claims service works as follows:

• You do not have to pay any fees upfront to your injury lawyer;
• You will agree to a success fee that they will receive if and after you get compensation for your pain and suffering;
• The success fee is capped at 25% of your payment for general damages and past financial losses;
• You do not have to pay your solicitor anything if you lose the claim.

This type of agreement ensures that your lawyer will do their best to win your case and that you will not be left out of pocket if you lose. It is essential to remember that you also have the option to take out After the Event (ATE) insurance, which will cover all the litigation costs if the claim fails. This includes court fees, medical reports, barrister fees and the defendant’s solicitors.

Call 0800 470 0474 or enter your details into our contact form if you want a free case assessment with an experienced legal adviser. They will let you know if you can make a no win no fee claim and answer all your questions.

Last edited on 18th Jul 2025

With over 15 years’ experience in the legal sector, Nicholas Tate (LLB Hons, LLM in Health Law) has extensive experience across all areas of personal injury and medical negligence claims.