Personal

Failure to Prevent Suicide Claims

We understand that you want answers as to why your loved one didn't receive the adequate care to prevent suicide. We are on hand to advise and support you throughout the compensation process.

SOLVING PERSONAL LEGAL MATTERS

Any suicide is a truly devastating tragedy that leaves behind a huge emotional trauma for those affected, and often many questions. In some cases, however, dealing with a loved one's suicide can be particularly difficult for the family and friends who are left behind if they believe that it could have been prevented with proper medical care.

Suicide is never a black and white issue, but there are some cases by which the victim displayed clear signs of distress in the presence of mental health professionals or was hospitalised due to suicidal thoughts. In cases like these, where the victim is under the care of mental health professionals or is known to be at risk of taking their own life, there should be no way for suicide to occur.

Medical professionals have a duty of care that requires them to take reasonable steps to prevent suicide wherever possible, and though sometimes this is not always possible, if you have lost a loved one due to substandard mental health care or negligence from a medical professional, you may wish to discuss your case with our team of expert clinical negligence solicitors, who can help you to make a suicide claim and give you advice and support through the inquest process.

At Forbes, our expert team of solicitors can provide legal advice and support for families dealing with the aftermath of preventable suicide and give advice in a number of areas, including:

Failure to identify and react quickly to signs of distress or requests for help
Misdiagnosis of mental health illnesses
Failure to refer or make supervision arrangements for an individual that is considered 'at-risk'
Allowing an individual that is considered 'at-risk' access to materials that may harm them
Discharging 'at risk' individuals from hospital before the treatment is complete
Failure to ensure appropriate treatment or medication

At Forbes solicitors, we know how much the suicide of a loved one can affect the families and friends, and our team of friendly solicitors are there for our clients at every step of the journey. We understand that you want answers as to why your loved one didn't receive the adequate care to prevent the suicide, and we are on hand to advise and support you throughout the process.

Case Study:

Established liability and causation against a hospital trust for failing to prevent a suicide. The family received an open apology and £192,000 compensation.

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FAQs

What sort of mistakes can lead to a preventable suicide claim?

There might be a number of different mistakes that can sometimes be made by medical professionals that could potentially mean you could claim compensation for suicide that was preventable. These can include:

Failing to correctly diagnose mental illness
Failing to recognise that someone intends to take their own life
Failing to recognise risk factors and put measures in place to prevent suicide
Failing to react to signs of distress or requests of help from the patient
Failing to put an adequate care plan in place or failing to refer or supervise the patient appropriately
Failing to prevent the patient from accessing dangerous medications or objects
Failing to discharge the patient correctly

If any of these failings resulted in the suicide of a loved one, you may be eligible to make a claim. Our experienced lawyers can help to determine if you have a case.

Who can make a claim if there has been a preventable suicide?

If you believe that your loved one died as a result of medical negligence because their suicide would have been prevented if they had received adequate support and treatment, it might be possible for a 'dependent' to make a claim on their behalf. A dependant can be:

The husband, wife or civil partner of the deceased
A child of the deceased
A parent of the deceased

What can be included in a claim of compensation for suicide?

If you are a dependent of the deceased, some of the elements that may be considered in a compensation claim for failing to prevent suicide could include:

Financial losses caused by the death of the deceased to the dependent, including things such as their loss of earnings or business or pension
Funeral costs
Any Pain and suffering the deceased experienced following the neglect until their death
The statutory bereavement award, which can only be claimed by the spouse or civil partner of the deceased, or children of the deceased that were under the age of 18 at the time of the death.

Why choose Forbes as your suicide lawyers to make a claim?

At Forbes Solicitors, we have experience in helping families who have suffered a preventable suicide to claim compensation for what has happened. No amount of money can make up for what has occurred and the loss and grief felt, but the sense of justice gained and reassurance that processes have now been put in place to prevent this happening to anyone else can be a source of great comfort to successful claimants.

We support mental health and suicide charities.

Our team of suicide claim solicitors approach every case with sensitivity and professionalism, working hard to secure the best possible outcome from the situation and helping claimants at all stages of the process.

As experts in passing off claims, our team can provide the specialist support you need at every stage of the process. Call us on 0800 689 0831 for more information.