How much does clinical negligence cost the NHS?
Figures from the NHS Litigation Authority for the year 2005-2006 show that the cost of clinical negligence in England was £560 million. Whilst these are huge amounts of money which could be dramatically reduced by better patient safety and speedier settlement of claims, this is well under 1% of the NHS budget. The NHS does not pay any insurance premiums to cover its liabilities. In Wales, the Welsh Health Legal Services report the cost of NHS clincial negligence claims in 2005-2006 to be £36.9 million.
