NHS fails to take meaningful steps' to tackle rising negligence costs

"From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging."

"The government and NHS England have been sharply criticised by MPs for their failure to take "any meaningful steps" to slash the rising costs of clinical negligence in England, despite two decades of warnings. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) branded this "lack of action" as "especially disappointing" amidst widespread budget cuts and redundancies across the health service."

"This comes as figures reveal total liabilities for medical negligence have quadrupled to 60 billion since 2006-07, while annual settlement costs have more than tripled to 3.6 billion. These alarming figures paint a picture of "a system struggling to keep its patients safe from avoidable harm", the PAC stated. Its new report highlighted that while the committee and its predecessors "have examined the issue of clinical negligence many times", the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) "cannot provide reassurance that it has taken any meaningful action to address clinical negligence to date"."

The Public Accounts Committee sharply criticised the government and NHS England for failing to take any meaningful steps to reduce rising clinical negligence costs in England despite two decades of warnings. Total liabilities for medical negligence have quadrupled to 60 billion since 2006-07, and annual settlement costs have more than tripled to 3.6 billion. The PAC warned that these figures suggest a system struggling to keep patients safe from avoidable harm and noted the Department of Health and Social Care cannot provide reassurance that it has taken meaningful action. Budget cuts and redundancies across the health service compound the problem.

Read at www.independent.co.uk