If you or someone close to you has sustained a life-changing injury due to medical negligence, you can come to us at any stage. Some people call while they are still in hospital. Others call in the first weeks at home, or years later, when they are still trying to understand what happened.

The impact of medical negligence rarely falls on one person alone. A partner, parent or child is often dealing with it too, while trying to hold everything else together. We combine national expertise with a genuinely personal service, and you can always speak directly with the specialist lawyer leading your case. We will guide and support you through the legal process and help you access rehabilitation and practical support.

Who we act for

Serious and life-changing injury is our exclusive focus. We act in complex medical negligence claims involving adults and children, including:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Brain injuries
• Birth injuries
• Amputations
• Injuries caused by a delayed or missed diagnosis, a surgical error, or a condition left to deteriorate.

The questions clients ask us

Most people start with the same questions:

• What exactly went wrong, and can you help me get answers to my questions?
• Why aren’t I getting any answers, or why am I being met with silence?
• What support can be put in place now, while everything is so uncertain?
• How will future care, therapies and adaptations be funded?
• If there is a settlement, will it properly protect my future, and what would that look like in my case?
• How will my case be funded, and will it cost me anything?

We work through these questions with you from the first conversation. We explain what can be investigated, what the process is likely to involve, how a claim may be funded and what practical support may be available now.

A poor outcome does not by itself mean that anyone was negligent. The only way to know whether you may have a claim is through a detailed investigation of your medical records, your account of what happened and, where needed, independent expert evidence.

What is medical negligence?

Medical negligence arises when care or treatment falls below an acceptable standard and causes avoidable harm. To succeed, a claim must establish breach of duty, causation, and loss and damage. Care can fall short without causing harm, and harm can occur without anyone being at fault.

Claims must usually be brought within three years, although different rules apply to children and people who lack capacity. Because time limits are strict, it is worth taking advice early.

Early support and rehabilitation

Where possible, we move quickly to secure interim payments to fund care, therapy, equipment, rehabilitation and housing, so your recovery does not have to wait. We also push for an early admission of liability, because that allows you and your family to start making plans. Practical support matters as much as the final compensation, and we look for ways to provide it from the outset.

Our in-house Rehabilitation Coordinators provide practical support following a life-changing injury or serious illness. If you instruct us to pursue your compensation claim, you may also be able to access up to £50,000 in early rehabilitation support through Stewarts Advance, together with guidance on your needs from one of our Rehabilitation Coordinators.

How we work throughout your case

You usually only have one attempt at settlement, and the outcome has to meet your needs for the rest of your life. We build each case around that reality from day one. This is why instructing a specialist solicitor who understands life-changing injury claims is so important.

Although most cases settle, we prepare every case as if it will go to trial. If it needs to be fought, we are ready. Our legal expertise, attention to detail and willingness to push boundaries help us secure the best possible outcome for each client.

Our goal is to protect your dignity, independence and quality of life, not simply to deliver a settlement. Securing the right compensation is vital, but we also measure progress by what changes along the way: care in place, suitable housing, equipment and therapy needs met, and rehabilitation underway.

We stay in regular contact, keeping you updated on the status of your case and what is likely to happen next. Our small caseloads mean that you deal with the same people throughout, rather than being passed around, and can speak directly with the lawyer leading your case.

Funding your claim

Most of our medical negligence clients seek a no win, no fee arrangements rather than risk their own money. These arrangements usually involve a combination of a conditional fee agreement (known as a CFA) and legal expenses insurance. The key features are:

• You pay nothing upfront
• If you win, most of your legal costs are usually paid from the other side, with the remainder covered from your compensation
• Provided you comply with the CFA and insurance terms, you will be fully protected from any financial liability for the claim if it is unsuccessful.

Making a hospital complaint

Many clients want answers and accountability as well as compensation. A complaint can help you obtain information and ask whether lessons have been learned. Making a complaint does not prevent you from seeking legal advice, and a complaint and a legal claim can run alongside each other.

What sets Stewarts apart

Our solicitors typically handle no more than eight to 12 life-changing medical negligence cases at any one time, far fewer than at many other firms. This gives the specialist solicitor leading your case the time to investigate what happened properly, get to know you and your family, and fight for the outcome you deserve.

The lawyer leading your case can draw on the collective expertise of our wider Medical Negligence team, built up over decades of handling complex claims. The team also works alongside in-house Rehabilitation

Coordinators and pro bono lawyers to help clients access practical support.

What others say

We are highly ranked for serious injury work by The Times Best Law Firms, the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. Our injury practice groups in London and Leeds are ranked Tier 1 by the Legal 500, and our team is a past winner of Personal Injury / Clinical Negligence Team of the Year at the Chambers UK Awards.

“Stewarts stands out for its extensive expertise in the sector and its engagement and empathy with its client. Its dedication to its work and the client is outstanding.” Chambers UK 2026

Over the past three years, our Medical Negligence team has recovered more than £215 million in damages for clients. Our largest settlement is £39.3 million, and across the life of the cases concluded last year we secured £20 million in interim payments.

Case study

Priya sustained a hypoxic brain injury and cerebral palsy following a delay in delivery. We secured a full admission of liability before proceedings, more than £1.8 million in interim payments and, once her future needs could be understood, a settlement of more than £20 million. The funding provided a suitable home, specialist education, therapy and lifelong care. Her parents said: “Although our child’s injuries require lifelong care, the settlement has ensured access to essential therapies, care and psychological support. Stewarts supported us throughout the process, and we simply couldn’t have achieved this outcome without them. Their work has provided long-term stability, and the specialist support our child will need for the future”.

If you already have a solicitor

Some clients come to us partway through a claim when they realise that their case needs deeper clinical understanding or more senior involvement. You do not have to stay with a firm appointed by an insurer or trade union. Changing solicitors is a straightforward process and, although it is usually best done early, we take over cases at every stage.

Get in touch with our Medical Negligence team

You can speak to us whenever you are ready. You may be at the start, trying to make sense of what happened, or you may already have a claim underway and want a second opinion from lawyers who specialise in life-changing injury. Contact our Medical Negligence team to talk through your situation.