Most people walk into hospitals trusting that they’re in safe hands. Whether it’s an emergency, surgery or just routine care, you expect to be looked after with skill and care. But sometimes, something goes wrong behind the curtain and you’re the one left dealing with the fallout.
Most people walk into hospitals trusting that they’re in safe hands. Whether it’s an emergency, surgery or just routine care, you expect to be looked after with skill and care. But sometimes, something goes wrong behind the curtain and you’re the one left dealing with the fallout.
Back in 2021, over 105,000 hospital incidents were reported across Ireland. That includes missed diagnoses, medication errors, surgical injuries, and other serious failures in care. Behind every number is a person or a family whose life was disrupted or changed altogether.
We’ve worked with people in Clare and throughout the west of Ireland who were discharged too soon, never followed up, or harmed during procedures that should have helped them. Many were told it was just bad luck. Others were made to feel like they were overreacting. And nearly all were left without answers.
At Crimmins Howard, we take the time to listen. We help you make sense of what happened, step by step. If a hospital’s actions or inaction caused you harm, you deserve to know why. And if it was avoidable, you have every right to take action.
If you believe a hospital mistake changed your health or affected someone you love, contact Crimmins Howard. We’ll help you get the answers you’ve been denied and support you in whatever comes next.
Hospital negligence occurs when a patient suffers avoidable harm due to poor or unsafe care within a hospital setting. This may involve mistakes by doctors, nurses or other healthcare staff. It can happen during treatment, diagnosis, surgery, discharge or even while waiting for care. Not every mistake is negligent, but when the standard of care falls below what should have been provided and that failure causes injury, illness or loss it may give rise to a legal claim for medical negligence.
We regularly assist clients harmed in HSE-run hospitals. These claims may involve mismanaged care in overcrowded wards, delayed scans or missed symptoms due to staff shortages. While many HSE staff do their best under pressure, the standard of care remains the same. When something avoidable happens, and a patient is left worse off, the public nature of the hospital does not protect it from legal accountability.
Private hospitals promise faster access, but that does not guarantee safer care. We have acted in cases involving rushed surgeries, overreliance on junior staff and poor post-operative monitoring. Patients are often left with no direct line to follow up when complications arise. Just because you paid privately does not mean the standard of care cannot be questioned or challenged when it falls short.
Close observation can be the difference between recovery and deterioration. We have represented patients whose vitals changed, who became confused or developed complications and yet no one noticed in time. Failing to monitor properly after surgery, during labour or while on certain medications can lead to irreversible harm. These are not just lapses in paperwork. They are preventable failures with serious consequences.
Hospital care does not end at discharge. Patients must be reviewed, informed of their results and given clear next steps. When blood tests, scans or pathology reports go unseen or unshared, serious illnesses can progress. We’ve seen cases where cancer was diagnosed late, or infections worsened, simply because no one followed up. Hospitals have a duty to close the loop.
Emergency departments are under pressure, but long waits cannot excuse avoidable harm. We have acted in cases where patients sat in pain or with undiagnosed conditions for hours, only to be admitted in crisis or sent home without proper review. Early signs of sepsis, stroke or other emergencies are sometimes missed. If that delay caused injury or death, it may be grounds for a claim.
Pressure sores are one of the clearest signs of neglect in hospital settings. They occur when a patient is left in one position for too long without being moved. Sores can become infected and even life-threatening. We’ve represented elderly and immobile patients who were left unattended and suffered as a result. With basic care, pressure sores can almost always be prevented.
We support families concerned about the treatment of loved ones in hospitals and nursing homes. These cases involve falls, dehydration, medication errors, and general lack of attention. Many elderly patients cannot speak for themselves. We take those cases seriously. Everyone deserves dignity and safety, especially in their most vulnerable moments. If care fell short, we’ll help you get answers.
Not all poor outcomes amount to negligence. In many hospital cases, something goes wrong despite the best efforts of staff. But when mistakes are preventable, and the care clearly falls below accepted standards, it may be possible to take legal action.
A hospital negligence claim must meet two main tests:
Common examples where hospital negligence may be actionable include:
To determine whether your case is actionable, we examine:
We also assess causation. This means asking: if proper care had been given, would the outcome have been different? If the answer is yes and that difference is medically significant you may have a strong claim.
Here are some signs that your case may be worth exploring:
At Crimmins Howard, we handle hospital negligence claims with sensitivity, clarity and care. We’ll never pressure you. We’ll review your records, explain where you stand and help you decide what’s best for you or your family.
Hospital negligence often involves several people across multiple teams. We examine the entire care pathway from admission to discharge to determine where communication broke down, where symptoms were missed, and where action should have been taken but wasn’t. We’re methodical in connecting each point of failure.
Hospital notes are not always reliable. Observations are sometimes incomplete, vague, or contradictory. We work with experienced medical consultants to assess whether the documentation reflects what should have been done. If it doesn’t, we build the case from there.
We frequently act in cases where patients were sent home too early or without essential follow-up. We analyse whether the discharge was clinically safe, whether test results were still pending, and whether proper instructions were given. If harm followed, we trace it back to the moment it became avoidable.
As a Clare-based firm, we understand the pressures facing regional hospitals limited specialist availability, reduced diagnostic access, and staffing shortages. These factors are not an excuse for unsafe care. We know how to prove when a resource gap became a clinical failure.
A single practitioner may not be solely at fault. We consider whether hospital policies, handover procedures, or internal systems failed to protect the patient. We ensure accountability reflects the full picture, not just the person on the day.
We do not take every case. We act in serious claims where the consequences were avoidable, and the standard of care fell short. If we take your case, it means we believe in its strength and we’ll build it accordingly.
Hospital negligence happens when the care you receive falls below the expected medical standard and causes avoidable harm. This might include delays in treatment, failure to monitor, surgical mistakes, or errors with medication. If a hospital had the chance to prevent an injury or serious complication and did not, it may be considered negligent.
No. Not all mistakes are legally negligent. For a successful claim, it must be shown that the care provided was clearly below the standard expected of a reasonably competent healthcare professional, and that this failure caused a worse outcome. We’ll assess this by reviewing your records and getting expert medical advice.
Yes. Whether the hospital is public or private, the duty of care to patients remains the same. Many of the claims we handle involve HSE hospitals. Public status does not reduce accountability, and patients have the same right to safe and competent care.
That is very common. Some hospital injuries or delays are only discovered long after discharge. You may only learn the truth through a second opinion or follow-up scans. The time limit for a claim usually starts from the date you became aware of the issue not the date the treatment occurred.
Yes. If your loved one has passed away or is unable to bring a claim themselves due to illness or injury, you may be able to act on their behalf. This is often done by a spouse, child or next of kin. We will guide you through that process with care.
In general, you have two years from the date you became aware of the negligence. For children, the two-year period starts on their 18th birthday. There are exceptions, so we always recommend seeking legal advice as early as possible to avoid missing the deadline.
Not always. Many hospital negligence claims settle before reaching a courtroom. If your case does need to go to court, we will prepare everything in advance, represent you throughout, and ensure you understand each step. We act with calm focus and full support from start to finish.
Compensation may cover physical pain, psychological distress, medical bills, future treatment costs, loss of earnings, and long-term care needs. We also factor in how the injury has affected your family life, independence and general wellbeing. Each claim is calculated based on the unique harm suffered.
No. Once you give us permission, we will request all relevant records from the hospital and any other providers involved. These records form the foundation of your claim. You are not expected to have everything ready. We’ll handle the paperwork and timelines.
If something went wrong in hospital and you were left worse off, we’re here to help. Crimmins Howard will review what happened, explain your legal options, and support you through the process with care. Contact us today for honest advice and clear answers without pressure or confusion.
