Letter: Settling NHS negligence claims

Sunday 22 June 1997 23:02 BST

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Sir: Professor Harris identifies a very important issue. He quite rightly questions whether priority should be given to immediate payment of successful medical negligence claims against NHS trusts, to the detriment of the NHS budget for patient care.

Given the huge amounts of money involved annually in paying out in successful cases, in defending allegations that eventually come to nothing, added together with the money expended by the legal aid board in funding ill- founded actions in medical negligence, surely it is time that ministers thought again about a separately funded "no fault" compensation scheme? Could it be so much more costly?

BARBARA DEVEREAUX

Swanscombe, Kent

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Letter: Settling NHS negligence claims

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