NHS hit by no win no fee claims
It has been revealed that the NHS has been hit by soaring no win no fee claims from patients who have suffered personal injury or medical negligence.
Steve Walker, chief of the NHS Litigation Authority, noted that compensation for patient payouts could only come out of the NHS budget, creating huge financial strain on the public service.
He stated that the NHS was facing an increasing number of claims from no win no fee solicitors. With a rise on claims, the service has had to put aside a record £787million in 2009 to cover the cost of settlements. In 2008, the NHS had to pay out £91 million in costs for claims.
Mr Walker said: “There is only one source of money for the NHS we have to pay claims from money that would be spent on patient care.”
However, medical negligence lawyer Russell Levy claimed that the legal costs can rise because the NHS drags cases out: “They hope the harder they make it and the more they discourage people, they will go away,” he said.
The NHS is currently facing 6,000 plus medical negligence cases.
Updated on 30/06/2009