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NHS: Negligence

Volume 461: debated on Monday 18 June 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on lawyers' fees in respect of negligence claims in each of the last five years; and how much compensation was paid in respect of negligence claims by the NHS in each year. (141688)

The Department does not collect information on the total amounts spent by the national health service on either lawyer's fees or compensation in respect of negligence claims. The NHS Litigation Authority collects details of the amounts spent by the NHS on lawyer's fees and compensation for claims made under clinical and non-clinical NHS schemes. Data for these schemes for the last five years are in the following tables.

Legal fees1

£000

Financial year

Clinical

Non-clinical

Total

2005-06

151,030

15,097

166,127

2004-05

134,441

16,637

151,078

2003-04

121,186

7,063

128,249

2002-03

117,204

5,934

123,138

2001-02

296,874

1,959

98,833

1 Legal fees are compensated quarterly (during the progress of a claim) for defence costs, but only at settlement of a claim for claimant costs.

2 Includes clinical negligence scheme for trusts call-in reimbursement to trusts.

Compensation

£000

Financial year

Clinical

Non-clinical

Total

2005-06

409,278

16,512

425,790

2004-05

368,453

25,574

394,027

2003-04

301,328

3,185

304,513

2002-03

328,980

16,330

345,310

2001-02

1452,070

4,890

456,960

1 Includes clinical negligence scheme for trusts call-in reimbursement to trusts.