RWK Goodman and AvMA: working together for safer healthcare

When patients or their families believe that something has gone seriously wrong with their medical care, compensation is rarely the first thing they talk about.

In my experience, they usually want to know what happened, why it happened, and whether anyone will make sure it does not happen to someone else. They may have spent months trying to obtain a clear explanation, often whilst dealing with the practical and emotional consequences of what has gone wrong.

For more than 40 years, Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) has helped people ask those questions and find a way forward.

Established in 1982 as Action for the Victims of Medical Accidents, AvMA has become a leading voice for patient safety and justice. Through its specialist helpline, written guidance, inquest support and campaigning, the charity helps people navigate healthcare and legal systems that can otherwise feel complex, intimidating and unresponsive.

RWK Goodman has worked closely with AvMA for many years. It is a relationship built on shared values, but it is also a very practical one. We both believe that people affected by avoidable medical harm should be listened to, treated fairly and able to obtain advice from lawyers who properly understand this specialist area.

I’m proud to be a member of AvMA’s Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel, alongside other members of our team. AvMA pioneered specialist accreditation in clinical negligence, and panel membership remains an important indication that a lawyer has the experience and commitment needed to represent injured patients and their families.

That matters because medical negligence cases often involve complex medical and legal issues and life-changing consequences. Families need advisers who understand the technical detail without losing sight of the person at the centre of the case.

Members of our team have also contributed to AvMA conferences, training events and professional publications, and I have always valued that exchange of knowledge. As the law and medical practice develop, none of us should assume that experience removes the need to keep learning.

Our relationship also has a direct impact on families. For example, in 2024, RWK Goodman took on two cases through AvMA’s pro bono inquest service, providing bereaved families with representation at inquests. Inquests can be daunting, particularly for grieving families facing experienced representatives acting for healthcare organisations. Proper representation can help them participate effectively, obtain answers and ensure that important concerns are explored.

A successful legal claim can provide compensation for care, treatment, lost earnings and other needs. That can make an enormous practical difference, but it is only one part of the response to avoidable harm.

Families often also want honesty, an apology and evidence that lessons have been learned. AvMA supports people seeking those outcomes whilst using their experiences to campaign for greater openness, accountability and safer care.

Its work on issues including the statutory duty of candour has helped keep patients and families at the centre of the debate about how healthcare organisations should respond when mistakes are made.

AvMA has recently told its supporters that it is preparing to introduce a refreshed identity. Whilst its purpose and core services are not changing, the charity aims to make its support easier to recognise, understand and access, particularly for people affected by health inequalities or communication barriers.

That is a sensible and important step. Specialist support is only valuable if the people who need it can find it and feel confident accessing it.

Those of us working in medical negligence see how similar failures can arise in different hospitals and at different times. Securing fair redress is essential, but so is learning from what happened. The two should go hand in hand, and AvMA has championed both for more than four decades.

RWK Goodman is proud of its longstanding relationship with the charity, and I look forward to continuing our work together in support of safer healthcare, greater accountability and justice for those who have been harmed.