Action against Medical Accidents

Healthcare in Britain is usually safe and it is rare for anything to go badly wrong, but the worst can happen. If something has gone wrong with healthcare and it has caused harm to you or a loved one, we are here to listen to you, explain the options available to you and help you find the support and information you need.

We can give advice on:

• making a complaint to the NHS or private healthcare

• coping with an inquest

• taking legal action

As the leading patient safety charity in the UK we offer a range of services to suit your needs. We are completely independent and rely on volunteers, fundraising and generous donations from supporters to enable us to help patients and bring about change.

Our online self-help guides contain clear and straightforward guidance on making a complaint, coping with an inquest, raising a concern with a regulator or making a legal claim for compensation. Written by legal and medical experts, they will guide you step by step through the information you need.

Our helpline offers a sympathetic ear and specialist advice from our trained volunteers. They will listen to you, advise you of your options and help to guide you through the process. If appropriate, we can refer you to our inquest or written advice services, or to an accredited clinical negligence solicitor.

If you need more in-depth support, our written advice service may be able to help. A dedicated advisor can work through your case with you, offering expert advice and support. This can include advice on taking part in an investigation into the incident; on the potential for a clinical negligence claim and what this involves; and help on professional regulatory matters, such as referring cases to the GMC, NMC and other bodies.

Our inquest team may be able to support you through an inquest into a loved one’s death. It is a small team and we are not able to accept every case but even if we can’t offer you our full service, we will try to offer helpful advice and information to guide you through the process.

Our free online resource helps you to find an accredited specialist clinical negligence solicitor to help you if you decide to pursue legal action. Search by region, location or specialist interest and you can be confident that all the solicitors listed are approved and accredited as members of AvMA’s specialist clinical negligence panel.

We campaign to improve patient safety, access to justice and the way patients and their families are dealt with after something goes wrong. We led the campaign for a statutory duty of candour, and we continue to be the leading patient voice on patient safety and justice issues.