Missed ligament injury following fibula fracture diagnosis — now requiring £10,000 surgery. What are my options?

Hi everyone,
First time posting so apologies if anything isn’t formatted perfectly.

About 12 days ago, I had a fall while roller skating. I caught the lip of the rink, and my right leg twisted badly — my knee buckled inward while my ankle rolled outward.

I was taken to hospital by ambulance. At the hospital:

• I had two X-rays
• I was told I had a clean fibula fracture
• I was told there was no ligament or tendon damage
• I was given a walking boot, crutches, and pain relief (codeine, paracetamol, ibuprofen)
• I was advised I could weight-bear with crutches
• I was told to come back at 2 weeks and 6 weeks for follow-ups

However, something didn’t feel right, so I decided to get a second opinion privately.

Yesterday:

• I had another X-ray confirming the fibula fracture
• I then had an MRI

Today I was told:

• I do have ligament and tendon damage
• I now require surgery and a cast
• Recovery time will be significantly longer (months instead of ~6 weeks)
• Estimated cost is £10,000+ privately

My concern is that:

• The ligament/tendon damage was missed initially at the hospital
• If it had been identified earlier, treatment could have started sooner
• This has now led to worsening of the injury, longer recovery, and major financial cost

So I’m trying to understand:

1. What are my options here?
2. Could this be considered medical negligence?
3. Should I go through the NHS complaints process or seek legal advice directly?
4. Is there any way to get this treated through the NHS now, given the updated diagnosis?
5. Has anyone experienced something similar?

I’d really appreciate any advice or guidance — this has gone from a relatively straightforward injury to something much more serious and expensive.

Thanks in advance.

(PS. Yes, it does read very AI I am terrible at writing and need the best advice I can get appreciate it!)