Last updated 1st August 2025. When you are sick or ill, the first port of call will often be your general practitioner (GP). Whilst you have a reasonable expectation that your GP will help you get to the bottom of your symptoms, unfortunately, sometimes the medical professionals that treat you do not meet the minimum required standard of care. If they fail to meet these standards, then you can suffer negligent treatment from your doctor, and this might cause you harm. In this guide, we will cover all aspects of making a GP negligence claim.
We will start by exploring what a GP negligence compensation claim is and under what circumstances one can be made. Also considered is the time frame in which a claim needs to be made and how compensation might be calculated.
Finally, we examine how one of our experienced medical negligence solicitors could help you with your case using a No Win No Fee agreement and explain how this can help you bring a claim.
If you would like to get in touch, please do so by:
- Calling us on 0330 1230 546
- Starting your claim online
Browse Our Guide
- What Is A GP Negligence Claim?
- How Could GP Negligence Lead To A Compensation Claim?
- How Do I Prove GP Negligence?
- What Is The Time Limit For Making A GP Negligence Claim?
- Can I Also Make A Complaint?
- How Much GP Negligence Compensation Could I Receive?
- What Is A No Win No Fee GP Negligence Claim?
- Read More About How To Make A Medical Negligence Claim
What Is A GP Negligence Claim?
A GP negligence claim occurs where a patient experiences unnecessary suffering due to substandard medical care. Your GP is required to provide a standard of care that meets minimum expected standards. If they fall below this and you suffer otherwise avoidable harm, then you could be entitled to compensation.
When you feel unwell and go to the GP, you take it for granted that you will receive the care and treatment you need. Whilst this is often the case, unfortunately, errors can occur, and sub-standard treatment can be given.
To help decide if your GP met this standard, things like the General Medical Council’s guide to good medical practice and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance can be considered.
The three elements needed to have an eligible medical negligence claim are:
- Your GP owed you a duty of care.
- They breached this duty by falling below the minimum standard of care.
- You suffered harm as a result of the breach of duty.
If you are unsure about whether you qualify for a claim, you can contact us for a free, no-obligation assessment of your circumstances. To help you in the meantime, we will move on to some examples of how GP negligence could occur.
How Could GP Negligence Lead To A Compensation Claim?
Sometimes, it is easier to think in terms of examples, so here are a few scenarios of negligent GP treatment:
- The GP makes an error, and you are prescribed the wrong type or wrong dose of medication (a medication error claim). This fails to fix your symptoms and, in fact, leads to new problems and injury.
- Your GP fails to perform tests that were needed to meet the minimum standard of care. This leads to you being negligently misdiagnosed and a delay in treatment, making your long-term prognosis far worse.
- Vital paperwork is lost or misplaced by a GP, and you are not referred in a timely manner. This results in a delayed diagnosis of your condition, and you miss treatment that would have resulted in a better overall outcome.
- A GP forgets to follow up on test results. Had they looked at the test results, it would have alerted them to a potentially serious medical condition that you are suffering. This leads to a poor prognosis.
These are just some examples of medical malpractice that could lead to successful medical negligence claims. To discuss your exact circumstances and see if you have a GP negligence claim, contact an advisor today.
How Do I Prove GP Negligence?
All clinical negligence claims require evidence. You need to prove that your GP breached their duty of care to you. It is also necessary to prove that this breach of duty caused you harm that you wouldn’t have sustained otherwise.
Evidence that can be used in clinical negligence claims includes:
- Your GP records
- Other relevant medical records, e.g. from a hospital
- Scan or test results
- Treatment notes
- Medical reports that detail your current prognosis
- A diary of your symptoms and how they impacted you.
Clinical negligence solicitors can be helpful in deciding the best way to prove your claim. You can see if you can work with one of our expert GP negligence solicitors by getting in touch with us.
What Is The Time Limit For Making A GP Negligence Claim?
A GP negligence claim must be brought within the correct time limit. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out the usual time frame, which is that a case for medical negligence must typically be brought within 3 years. This is from the date of the negligence of your GP or 3 years from when you knew, or reasonably should have known, that it occurred.
There are some exceptions to this for individuals who cannot make a claim for themselves:
- Time limits are paused for anyone under the age of 18. Instead, the standard 3 years will only be counted from the day of their 18th birthday.
- People who lack the capacity to handle their legal affairs are also not subject to a time limit. The 3-year time limit will only apply if they regain capacity and will run down from the date of that recovery.
In both instances, a litigation friend can begin a claim at any point while time limits are on hold. A litigation friend is a suitable adult, e.g. parent, guardian, or sibling (but being a family member is not a requirement). The court will appoint a Litigation friend during the claims process.
Can I Also Make A Complaint?
Yes, you can also make a complaint alongside your GP negligence claim for compensation. A copy of your complaint could form part of your evidence, and it can potentially prevent a similar mistake from happening again in the future within the organisation.
Here is how you can make a complaint about GP medical negligence:
- Follow the complaints process by the NHS, if applicable. Usually, most GPs are contracted and not employed directly by the NHS. However, the local or national NHS body may still be responsible. If your complaint is against a staff member at a GP surgery, you might be able to make a complaint directly to the practice. All GP surgeries must have a complaints procedure and a liable party.
- Complaint to the General Medical Council (GMC), which is the regulatory body responsible for all GPs. This body takes all complaints seriously. While they cannot provide you with compensation, they may decide to take disciplinary action against the GP responsible for providing substandard medical care.
If you would like more advice on the benefits of making a complaint, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of advisors. They may also connect you with one of our specialist solicitors if you’re eligible to claim GP negligence compensation.
How Much GP Negligence Compensation Could I Receive?
Compensation in clinical negligence claims could be made up of 2 types of damages. The first is for your pain and suffering and is called ‘general damages’. This includes psychological conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The second type is ‘special damages’ and is for the financial losses resulting from that harm.
Looking at general damages first, it is usually the case that an independent medical report will be obtained. This will detail the avoidable harm suffered and give a prognosis, where possible, for any ongoing issues or symptoms. This can be arranged by your legal representative at a time and place convenient to you.
A medical report will usually be used in conjunction with a document called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG), which gives suggested compensation brackets for many kinds of harm. This will allow those handling your case to value your general damages.
The table below contains some JCG brackets. It is only intended as guidance. Please also note that the first row includes special damages and does not come directly from the JCG.
| Harm | Severity | Guideline Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Forms of Harm + Special Damages | Serious | £1,000,000 plus | Harm will be very severe and multiple, together with loss of earnings and other expenses. |
| Brain | Very Severe | £344,150 to £493,000 | At the top of bracket, cases would feature little if any indicators of meaningful response to the environment or language ability. There would be a requirement for dedicated nursing care. |
| Moderately Severe | £267,340 to £344,150 | Factors considered in this bracket include degree of physical limitation, life expectancy, and level of dependence. | |
| Kidney | Serious, Permanent Damage Or Loss of Both (a) | £206,730 to £256,780 | Both kidneys will either experience serious damage that is permanent or be lost. |
| Female Reproductive System | Infertility (a) | £140,210 to £207,260 | Infertility, pain, sexual dysfunction, severe depression/anxiety, and scarring. |
| Leg Amputations | Above-Knee Amputation of 1 Leg | £127,930 to £167,760 | Compensation depends on factors like the presence of any phantom pain, together with their severity, and associated psychological problems. |
| Back | Severe (iii) | £47,320 to £85,100 | Bracket can include soft tissue harm resulting in chronic conditions where there are persisting disabilities despite treatment (typically surgery). |
| Eye | Total Loss of 1 Eye | £66,920 to £80,210 | Level of compensation in bracket will depend on psychiatric impact, age, and cosmetic effect. |
| Ear | Total Loss of Hearing in 1 Ear | £38,210 to £55,570 | Higher end of bracket tend to feature associated problems, such as tinnitus, dizziness, or headaches. |
| Taste and Smell | Total Loss of Taste and Smell | In the Region of £47,810 | Taste and smell will be completely lost. |
Can I Claim For Loss of Earnings After Negligent GP Treatment?
Medical negligence compensation can include items of financial loss (special damages), as we talked about above. Here are some examples of special damages that could be claimable:
- Past and future loss of earnings
- Loss of pension entitlement
- Home or vehicle adaptations
- Care from family and professionals
- Travel expenses incurred while attending medical appointments
- Rehabilitation costs
You will need documentation of the costs you wish to be reimbursed for. This can be done with wage slips, bank statements, invoices, and similar evidence. For more information on the financial losses that you can claim in a compensation claim, you can contact us.
What Is A No Win No Fee GP Negligence Claim?
Deciding to make a medical negligence claim can be a daunting prospect without support, and you could be worried about paying solicitor fees. Fortunately, there is a solution regarding those fees as our clinical negligence solicitors can offer you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) if your case is accepted.
A CFA allows you to bring a No Win No Fee claim for GP negligence compensation, and it carries with it certain benefits:
- There is no requirement to pay a solicitor’s fee upfront for the work on your GP negligence claim.
- Ongoing solicitor fees do not need to be paid as your case progresses.
- If your case is unsuccessful, there are no solicitor fees charged at all.
If your case wins, then your solicitor will be due a success fee that is deducted from your compensation. It is a payment for their work, and the level of the percentage is capped by legislation.
Should you want to work with one of our clinical negligence solicitors to help you with your claim, you can take your first steps by:
- Calling us on 0330 1230 546
- Starting your claim online
Read More About How To Make A Medical Negligence Claim
We hope that you now have a better idea about what is involved in making a medical negligence claim. Here are some further resources that may prove useful to you:
- Read about birth injury compensation claims
- Find out how to claim on behalf of a loved one if they passed away due to medical negligence.
- Learn how to make a hospital negligence claim.
Here are some external resources
- You can learn how to report concerns about your doctor to the General Medical Council.
- Find out when to use NHS 111.
- The Royal College of Nursing set out its principles of nursing care.
Thank you for reading this guide about making a GP negligence claim.