Government and NHS fail to take ‘any meaningful steps’ to tackle spiralling medical negligence costs
NHS and Government criticised for ‘lack of action’ on soaring negligence costs
- The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has sharply criticised the government and NHS England for failing to take meaningful steps to reduce the rising costs of clinical negligence, despite two decades of warnings.
- Total liabilities for medical negligence have quadrupled to £60 billion since 2006-07, with annual settlement costs tripling to £3.6 billion, indicating a system struggling to keep patients safe.
- The PAC highlighted that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has not committed to new improvement activities until an ongoing review, which lacks a completion date, is finished.
- MPs raised concerns about the lack of coordination in patient safety approaches and insufficient data on the underlying causes of clinical negligence, with tragic failings in maternity care being a significant driver.
- The PAC has called for the DHSC to publish the Amos Review on maternity failings within two months, alongside a plan to reduce harm and costs, and a broader government strategy to tackle clinical negligence.
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