'Poor treatment' costs health service £4.8m

The amount of money being shelled out in negligence claims has soared since 2006 according to new figures.

Together, the NHS organisations in the county paid £4,813,309 in 2007-08 to compensate patients who were given poor treatment.

This figure is nearly £1.4m more than the previous year.

Of the four medical organisations in the county, United Lincolnshire Hospitals' Trust forked out the most cash to disgruntled patients with £4,288,951 paid over 2007-08.

This compares with £3.3m in 2006-07.

Emma Frost from Potterhanworth, near Lincoln, was one of the recipients of a damages pay-out from Lincoln County Hospital in 2006 after a smear test was read incorrectly.

She was awarded £345,000 damages on behalf of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals' Trust in November that year, after being forced to undergo pelvic exenteration – radical surgery in her lower abdomen – in order to save her life.

Sally-Ann Robinson, head of medical law at Langleys solicitors in Lincoln, said pay-outs were on the up.

"These are generally increasing as the price of care needs goes up," said Mrs Robinson.

"Most of my clients stress that what is important is that these cases are reviewed by those responsible for making the mistake. They want to make sure it does not happen to anyone else."

A single birth negligence claim could cost several million pounds because the parents may need to ensure the child's care is covered for their entire life, she added.

Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust paid out £353,425 – £283,311 more than in 2006-07.

East Midlands Ambulance Service paid £144,767 in damages, compared with £51,379 in 2006-07.

NHS Lincolnshire paid out £26,166 in damages in 2007-08, but recorded no pay-outs in previous years.

All the awards are issued on behalf of the trusts by the NHS Litigation Authority.

That organisation pays a premium each year which acts as an insurance premium.

Hospitals trust spokesman Anna Temple said the jump in settlement figures included long-running claims which had only recently been settled.

"The NHS Litigation Authority paid £4,288,951 in compensation on behalf of the trust during 2007-08. This cost includes claims and legal expenses," she said.

"In 2007-08, the trust managed to settle two particular long-running outstanding claims which has resulted in an increased value of compensation pay-outs."