Medical blunders run up £55m compensation bill

Compensation amounting to £55 million has been paid out over the past decade by Northern Ireland's health and social services boards and trusts over medical negligence.

And a further potential liability of £121 million could be paid on outstanding claims, a report to the Assembly from independent Auditor General John Dowdall has revealed.

In his report yesterday Mr Dowdall said there has been an 86% increase in outstanding claims over the past six years - which stood at 3,532 in March 2001 compared to 1,899 in 1995.

But the level of claims was "relatively small when compared to England and Wales," said Mr Dowdall.

There were 23,000 claims outstanding against the NHS in England in March 2000 and 1,600 in Wales.

The speciality with the most claims outstanding in Northern Ireland was obstetrics and gynaecology, followed by accident and emergency and general surgery.

The report said: “It seems probable to us that the high number of claims in obstetric and gynaecology reflects not only the degree of risk, but also the fact that children are automatically eligible for legal aid.”

The Audit Office also said processes for handling medical negligence claims had been unsatisfactory in minimising delay.

It said there was an average time of four or five years to settle a claim, while some exceptional cases ran to 10 years.

(AMcE)