KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 \u2014 Patients who believe they were harmed by medical treatment need an independent place to turn for explanations and advice before resorting to litigation, said a United Kingdom patient safety charity.<\/p>\n
Jocelyn Cornwell, chair of the trustee board of Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), said an organisation like AvMA could be useful in Malaysia by helping patients understand what happened to them, navigate complaints and, where necessary, find appropriate legal support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen something goes wrong, when you\u2019ve had some kind of medical treatment, you have lots of questions and you don\u2019t necessarily know where to get answers to those questions,\u201d Cornwell told CodeBlue in an interview on the sidelines of a medical law conference on August 15.<\/p>\n
Patients may not even know whether something that happened during their treatment amounted to medical harm or whether they should make a complaint, she said.<\/p>\n
An organisation such as AvMA could first give patients an outlet to tell their story and have someone listen, before helping them decide what they wanted to do next.<\/p>\n
That could mean seeking an apology or explanation, making a complaint, pursuing remedial treatment, or, in more serious cases, determining whether legal action was appropriate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe define a successful resolution as that the patient gets the outcome that they want. So if it\u2019s an apology, they get it. If it\u2019s an explanation, they get it. If it\u2019s a legal case, they win it,\u201d said Cornwell.<\/p>\n
AvMA Helps Patients Find Answers, Not Just Lawyers<\/strong><\/p>\n AvMA is a UK-wide charity that supports people who have suffered avoidable medical harm. Cornwell, who spent four decades working in or around the National Health Service (NHS), said the organisation\u2019s work is not primarily about securing compensation.<\/p>\n It provides self-help guides, a telephone helpline, caseworkers for complex cases, referrals to accredited clinical negligence lawyers, and support with inquests, including referrals for representation and bereavement services.<\/p>\n The patient safety charity does not provide legal representation or medical treatment. Its helpline volunteers, however, have medico-legal training and typically have backgrounds in medicine or law.<\/p>\n AvMA also runs an accreditation scheme for clinical negligence lawyers, allowing patients to be directed to lawyers with relevant expertise and access to appropriate medical experts.<\/p>\n The independent charity helped about 12,000 people in 2025, mostly through its self-help service and helpline, Cornwell said.<\/p>\n A significant proportion of people who contact AvMA have disabilities, including physical disabilities and mental health conditions, she said.<\/p>\n Cornwell said people who are poorer, less educated, from minority ethnic groups, or disabled may face greater difficulty speaking up about medical harm. She also highlighted women whose concerns are overlooked in maternity care.<\/p>\n When Medical Harm Is Followed By \u2018Compounded Harm\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n For patients who cannot find an independent avenue for answers, turning to the media or social media may seem like the only option. But publicising an experience does not necessarily provide what patients are looking for, Cornwell said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to get the apology, it\u2019s not going to get the explanation, and it\u2019s not going to help them take it further if that\u2019s what they need to do,\u201d she told CodeBlue.<\/p>\n Cornwell described what can happen afterwards as \u201ccompounded harm\u201d \u2013 when the original medical injury is followed by a defensive response from the health care system.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bad enough to have a different outcome from the one that you wanted or expected. Then you find yourself up against a bureaucracy that really doesn\u2019t acknowledge what happened,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Patients may receive distant responses, be told they do not understand what happened, or feel that their concerns have simply been pushed aside.<\/p>\n Cornwell said many patients ultimately just want an explanation or apology, rather than compensation or a lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe preferred action is not litigation. The starting point is, what does this person say they want and need?\u201d she said. \u201cMany people want an apology, they want an explanation, they want to understand what has happened. That\u2019s all they want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Martha\u2019s Rule\u2019 Shows Why Patients Need To Be Heard<\/strong><\/p>\n Cornwell cited the case of 13-year-old Martha Mills, who died in 2021 after developing sepsis following a pancreatic injury sustained in a bicycle accident.<\/p>\n Martha\u2019s parents repeatedly raised concerns about her deteriorating condition while she was being treated at King\u2019s College Hospital in London. A coroner later concluded that Martha would probably have survived had she been transferred to intensive care earlier.<\/p>\n