The number of medical negligence cases in the UK is increasing steadily. It has been put down to greater public awareness, and better reporting and accounting procedures by health authorities, rather than a rise in the number of accidents. Rising cost Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, compiled the report into health service finances. It found that England's 100 health authorities faced liabilities of up 1.8bn for 1998, compared with 1.3bn in 1997. However, Sir John estimates that the cost of clinical accidents which have occurred, and for which compensation claims are expected, could add up to a further 1bn.
Patients are now far more aware of their rights and the mechanisms for pursuing claims.
And the awards are higher because the payouts for things like a brain damaged child or adult are based on the cost of caring for that person for the rest of their life, and that can be enormous, especially with all the new treatments and technology. Last November, another severely disabled girl set a new record when she was awarded 3.9m in compensation for brain damage that occurred during routine surgery. Reforms were introduced last month to speed up the compensation process and cut litigation costs. The average medical negligence claim takes five years to settle and the more difficult ones can take up to a decade. Under the new plans, timetables will be imposed on both sides in any medical dispute.