The ugly face of medical negligence: where has justice gone?

摘要

In the year ending 31 March 2013, the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) has seen a rise in claims of almost 11 % on the previous year [1]. Expenditure on clinical negligence claims in 2012/13 shows that of the ￡1.258 billion spent, ￡275 million was paid to claimant solicitors. Catherine Dixon, Chief Executive of the NHSLA reports that this is due primarily to the availability of no-win no-fee agreements which enable claimant's lawyers to charge up to 100 % uplift on their costs which has significantly increased the number of claims and the amount the NHS has had to pay for its claims. New legislation will change this.