Curb rising costs of NHS clinical negligence claims

A number of leading health organisations have written to Justice Secretary David Gauke calling for urgent action to reduce the spiralling cost of medical negligence claims in England.

The letter, coordinated by the NHS Confederation and signed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the British Medical Association, is in response to figures which show that £1.7 billion was paid out last year alone. The letter says that costs are spiralling, ‘unsustainable’ and diverting vast amounts from frontline care.

Last year, the way compensation payments are calculated changed, pushing up compensation payments in personal injury cases where there is an element of future care costs and earnings.

The letter says: "The rising cost of clinical negligence is unsustainable and means that vast amounts of resource which could be used more effectively have to be diverted elsewhere. We fully accept that there must be reasonable compensation for patients harmed through clinical negligence, but this needs to be balanced against society's ability to pay. This is money that could be spent on frontline care. Given the wider pressures on the healthcare system, the rising cost of clinical negligence is already having an impact on what the NHS can provide."