Birth injury compensation claim news -
18/08/2009
London hospitals paying millions for negligence
Birth injury compensation claims in London are costing the NHS nearly £30 million a year.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the most common birth injury compensation claims in the capital are for cerebral palsy, stalled development and brain injury.
Overall, NHS hospitals in London had to pay out a total of £73.6m in medical negligence settlements and no win, no fee solicitor fees, with £26,817,256 of this attributable to birth injury compensation claims.
Despite criticism of the negligence records of some trusts, an NHS Litigation Authority spokesperson said that it was impossible to compare performance. "Larger trusts and those which provide more complex treatments are more likely to receive claims than smaller trusts or those providing low-risk care," she said.
