Negligence claims drain £6m of health cash

7:50am Thursday 28th August 2008

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CLINICAL negligence claims drained millions of pounds from Warrington’s health services last year.

Health institutions covering Warrington paid out £6,787,286 of taxpayers’ money to the NHS Litigation Authority. A further £14 million was paid out by the North West Strategic Health Authority, which covers Warrington.

North Cheshire Hospitals’ bill alone came to almost £5m in 2006/07, with another £159,272 paid separately to cover obstetrics claims.

That year the trust, which manages Warrington and Halton hospitals, was hit by 18 clinical negligence claims, two clinical negligence incidents and 20 non-clinical claims.

It paid £727,661 to the NHSLA for clinical damages cover and £676,660 for non-clinical damages, which encompasses claims like falls or theft.

Successful claims to Warrington Primary Care Trust since 2002 have included two claims by staff members for asbestos exposure leading to mesothelioma, and claims by staff for negligence, injury and falls, according to information released after a Freedom of Information request by the Warrington Guardian.

5 Boroughs Partnership, which deals with mental health care in the region, has had 22 claims against it relating to the treatment or attitude of doctors since 2003.

Already in 2007/08 Warrington PCT has been subject to eight claims, of which two have been conceded, four are in progress and two were withdrawn, FOI Act figures show.

Warrington PCT dedicated more than £110,000 to two claims in 2006/07 and 5 Boroughs Partnership set aside more than £404,000 for 20 total claims.

The North West Ambulance Service spent more than £1m on litigation protection after receiving 11 clinical claims, three clinical incidents, 36 non-clinical claims and three non-clinical incidents last year.

Health-care providers pay differing amounts of money to the NHSLA, depending on their size and the type of procedures they perform. The money is split into damages, defence and claimant costs.

Including the North West Strategic Health Authority’s payments, the total for the area comes to £20,586,913 for 2006/07.

All the SHA’s money was paid into the Existing Liabilities Scheme, which pays out for claims predating April 1995.

The SHA is liable to pay because most of these claims relate to NHS bodies that are now defunct because of restructuring, leaving the SHA the successor.

North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust made the obstetrics payments of more than £150,000 after clinical negligence claims. However, patient confidentiality laws mean no precise figures relating to claims are available.

Spokesmen for both Warrington PCT and the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust said their organisations took part in the NHSLA’s risk management programme.

Their financial contributions were related to the level of risks facing NHS organisations, they said.

North Cheshire Hospitals, the North West Ambulance Service and the North West Strategic Health Authority were all approached for comment.