There are plenty of books on clinical errors, some written for doctors and others for lawyers. This book is for patients. It describes the principles of medicine and then explains what people can expect their general practitioner to do by way of diagnosis and treatment. It removes some of the mystery surrounding medical practice and explains how accidents can occur. This is almost a small medical textbook - but one that cuts through the technicalities to help people understand what has happened.

The examples of what can go wrong in medical practice are actual UK general practitioner cases where lawyers requested a medical opinion in cases of alleged negligence. The examples give a guide to patients who are considering a complaint about a medical practitioner. They may also provide an explanation for patients and relatives to show that even if things have turned out badly the doctor may still have done all that was possible.