Thousands of people in the UK depend on community care services provided by social services, the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and private community care providers to help them or their family members with their health and social care needs.
When it comes to community care, we all expect and deserve a high standard of care and support. This is never more important than when our loved ones are being cared for in a nursing home, care home, hospice or being given care at home. We have a right to expect they will be properly looked after, treated with kindness and respect, and will feel happy, comfortable, and safe there.
Fortunately, most people cared for in these settings receive an excellent standard of care. However, there are exceptions. Sadly, negligence or abuse can happen, and sometimes preventable mistakes are made that can lead to serious injuries, illnesses, psychological trauma, and in the worst cases, fatal injury.
If you or a family member has been harmed, you may want to know what went wrong and why and to know that lessons are learnt so it does not happen to someone else. Your loved one may also be entitled to make a compensation claim. If they have died, you may be able to make a compensation claim on your family’s behalf.
Whether you or a family member has suffered due to nursing home negligence, care home negligence, or negligence in a hospice or from a health or social care provider in your own home, our specialist team has the expertise to help.
To book a free, no-obligation chat with us call 0800 884 0777, email info@novumlaw.com or complete our online enquiry form.
We can help with a wide range of compensation claims where negligence has occurred in a community setting. Some examples include:
Novum Law’s expert lawyers are experienced in supporting families where death has occurred in community settings. We can support you from the very beginning – through serious untoward incident (SUI) investigations, root cause analysis investigations, complaints processes and inquests. We will help you get all the answers you need.
No matter how the community care system has let you and your family down, our specialist lawyers are here to help.
Over the years, our solicitors have held NHS, social care services and private community care providers across England and Wales to account for medical treatment and care that falls below acceptable standards.
Acceptable standards includes providing person-centred care tailored to meet their needs and preferences, treating people with dignity and respect, ensuring consent is given before any care is given, prioritising safety, and safeguarding from abuse, among others. To find out more about standards of care, the Care Quality Commission has published the Fundamental Standards.
Making a community care negligence claim with Novum Law is straightforward. You can claim on a No Win No Fee basis, which means you do not have to worry about legal costs during the claim process.
In the unlikely event that your claim is unsuccessful, you will have nothing to pay. Learn more about No Win No Fee.
We offer a free initial consultation if you or a family member has experienced a severe or life-changing injury or illness due to community care services negligence.
Call us now on Freephone 0800 884 0777, email info@novumlaw.com or complete our online enquiry form for a free, ‘no strings attached’ chat. We will let you know if you have the grounds to make a community care negligence claim.
Our expert solicitors will gather the evidence they need to build a strong case for you or your loved one.
We gather the documentary and witness evidence needed and work with leading independent medical experts and barristers to help prove your case.
The value of your community negligence claim is calculated using several factors, including:
Find out more about how we calculate compensation.
In most community care negligence cases, you have three years to make a compensation claim. The time limit for making a claim starts from the date your injury happened or your illness was diagnosed (or the date you first became aware that your injury or illness resulted from community care negligence).
There are some exceptions to the three-year time limit:
If you have any questions about time limits, you can call us on Freephone 0800 884 0777 or email info@novumlaw.com.
We can settle most negligence claims out of court. If your community care negligence case must go to court, our expert solicitors will support you throughout the process.
In the rare event that we do have to issue court proceedings (for example, because no settlement agreement is reached informally), you will be in safe hands. We will guide you through the process and ensure you understand what is happening each step of the way.
In many community care services negligence cases, the claims settle before the official court hearing date. For the small minority that does not, we will instruct a barrister to represent you at the final hearing and be with you to support you on the day.
Care homes have a duty of care to their residents to make sure they are well looked after and always feel safe and comfortable. Sadly, there are some care homes that do not provide the required standard of care and this can lead to the neglect of residents and result in serious injury, illness, and psychological trauma. If this happens, care home residents, or their family may be able to make a care home negligence claim for compensation.
Care home neglect falls into four categories:
There are many examples of care home negligence. For example: failing to administer medications when needed, wrongly administering medications, not reporting signs of illness or infection, failing to move or turn older residents who go on to develop pressure sores, mishandling residents (leading to injuries), failure to supervise residents (resulting in falls and accidents), failure to look after daily needs (e.g., washing, helping residents to go to the toilet, assisting with eating and drinking), and physical, sexual and psychological abuse (e.g. being slapped or kicked, shouted at, or being ignored).
The three most common complaints about nursing homes are:
If things go wrong with your social care or a family member’s social care, and there has been a serious injury or illness as a result, you may be able to take legal action and make a negligence claim against social services. If this happens, it is essential to get advice from a specialist solicitor who has experience of community care claims.
If you have a question that is not listed above, please visit our FAQs page. Alternatively, please get in touch, and we will be happy to answer your query.
If you or a loved one has a community care negligence claim, our expert solicitors in Bristol, Cardiff, the Isle of Wight, Plymouth, Salisbury, Southampton and Swindon are here to help.
To start the process of making your compensation claim, contact us on Freephone 0800 884 0777 or online for a free, no-obligation chat.
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Why choose us?
As expert solicitors focusing on serious personal injury and medical negligence, you can trust us to get the best results for you and your family.
We understand what you are going through, and we will be there for you every step of the way throughout your claim and beyond.
Our No Win No Fee guarantee means you can make a risk-free compensation claim with no legal costs or charges if your claim is unsuccessful.
Specialist rehabilitation, medical care and support can make a huge difference in your life. We work with the best providers to get the treatment you need.
The professionalism with which you have handled my claim put my mind at ease and was less stressful than I could have imagined.
Going with Novum Law was the best thing I’ve ever done.
Novum won the case for me, and helped me get my life back together
I would have no hesitation in recommending Novum Law and your services.
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