Dealing with claims accounts for about 1/5 of the cases we handle. This video examines a claim made against a consultant surgeon because he left out critical information from a patient’s notes.

A private neurosurgeon faces questions on consent, following a lumbar microdiscectomy sciatica and back pain.

Miss Y, 37 years old, was known to have bilateral ovarian endometrial cysts treated at the time of a laparotomy by Mr D, consultant gynaecologist. For several years she had been regularly followed up and repeat scans had showed recurrence of her cysts, which were managed with dydrogesterone.

Mrs F, a 30-year-old housewife, visited her GP, Dr O, with a four-week history of diarrhoea. Dr O arranged a stool sample for microscopy and culture (which was negative) and prescribed codeine. Four months later, Mrs F was still having diarrhoea, especially after meals, and she had started to notice some weight loss. She returned to the surgery and this time saw Dr P, who examined her and found nothing remarkable, but decided to refer her to gastroenterology in view of her persistent symptoms.

Mr E, a 50-year-old accountant, was playing squash with a colleague after work and hurt his left ankle. He couldn’t keep playing but he was able to walk, so he went home. The next day his ankle became quite swollen, so Mr E kept it on ice and took some ibuprofen...

Mr X, a 25-year-old fit and active man, was reviewed by his GP, Dr A, with a recurrence of lower back pain. He had noticed lumbar back pain intermittently throughout his 20s, but played a lot of sports to which he attributed his symptoms.

Ms Q, 58 years old, consulted Dr G, a gastroenterologist, with a history of dyspepsia, early satiety and altered bowel habit. Clinical examination, including digital rectal examination, was recorded as normal...

Mr H was a senior consultant general and breast surgeon who worked in a district general hospital. He was recognised by his colleagues as an expert in breast surgery and an informal arrangement was put in place to transfer all patients with breast problems to Mr H. This arrangement was endorsed by the hospital clinical director but was not formally agreed...

Miss F, an overweight 11-year-old, attended her GP, Dr A, complaining of knee pain and clicking for two months following a twisting injury whilst playing football...

A patient presents with symptoms of haemorrhoids but is it something more sinister?

A patient alleges her GP was negligent for failing to prescribe antibiotics

Child H, a three-year-old boy, was brought into the Emergency Department (ED) of a private hospital by his mother, having inhaled or swallowed a little building brick. They brought a similar piece with them. Child H was seen by a doctor, Dr W, who documented that he appeared well, with no signs of respiratory distress and a normal auscultation. Dr W arranged for him to have a chest x-ray, which both Dr W and a radiologist considered normal.

Ms C, a 43-year-old smoker who was otherwise well, presented to her GP, Dr Q, complaining of a few days’ discoloration to the tip of her right index finger. She explained that her fingers had always felt cold and often turned white and went numb when she was outside.

Mr A was a 25-year-old man who was on lifelong steroid medication for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. He was under the care of Dr F, a consultant endocrinologist.

JS, a four-month-old baby, was felt by his mother to be developing a cold and was given oral paracetamol solution, which was effective. The following day his mother noted he was warm and snuffly.

Mr B was a 31-year-old man with three children. His mother was staying with him over the weekend because he was in bed coughing and shivering.

Baby LM was taken to see his GP, Dr E, for his six-week check. During this examination Dr E noted that his left testis was in the scrotum but his right testis was palpable in the canal. He asked LM’s mother to bring him back for review in a month.