Every vet is expected to perform to the standard of a reasonably competent professional, which means fulfilling their duty of care and exercising sufficient skill and judgement.
Vets have a duty of care towards all clients and patients and even third parties under certain circumstances. If this duty of care is breached, they can be said to have failed to perform to a standard which could reasonably be expected of a competent professional and can therefore by deemed negligent. This could provide grounds for a professional negligence claim.
The following factors will be taken into account when establishing whether or not the vet in question failed to discharge their duty of care:
• The professional standards that the individual was expected to meet at the time of the incident
• There are numerous approaches which can be taken to veterinary procedure
• The vets experience and skill level
• Vets will make mistakes so they are not expected to choose the right course of action, only a reasonable one
• Whether or not the damage caused was a direct result of duty being breached
• Whether or not the damage caused could have been predicted
It is also important to remember that whilst UK courts recognise human pain and suffering as worthy of compensation, the pain and suffering of animals is not accounted for in UK law.
Don’t delay – call our expert solicitors today for help claiming against a negligent vet
If you believe that you have been the victim of veterinary negligence you need to start the claims process as quickly as possible. Our professional negligence compensation claim experts will quickly be able to determine whether or not you have grounds for a claim and can provide expert advice throughout the claims process.
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