Advanced Medical Negligence
Module code: LW7295
The law relating to medical negligence is a key part of medical law. Damages awarded to patients damaged because of sub-standard care cost the NHS almost £2.7 billion in the year 2022/23. In this module we will critically examine the law relating to medical negligence and how it might be reformed. We will consider the fundamental aspects of the law: the doctor-patient relationship, the duty and standard of care, and the topic of causation. The legal and practical issues relating to time limits for bringing claims will also be explored, and we will consider information disclosure and the therapeutic exception. Criminal liability will be examined with a particular focus on how the offence of gross negligence manslaughter has been used to prosecute health care practitioners. Finally, we will consider how medical negligence law might best be reformed. The last session of the module is devoted to a skills workshop, to help you develop the necessary research and writing skills to be able successfully to tackle the module’s written assessments.