Hospital compensation in top ten nationally and tops £7m

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust paid out a total of £7.7 million in 2018/19, placing it tenth in the national league tables.

The NHS Trust, which oversees Hinchingbrooke, Peterborough and Stamford and Rutland Hospitals, had a total of 17 claims relating to delayed or misdiagnosis settled against it in 2018/19, meaning the average claim was worth £454,032.

However, the medical director at the trust said many of the claims that were settled this year dated back a number of years.

Vince Shore, Head of Clinical Negligence at Hudgell Solicitors, who revealed the figures after submitting a freedom of information request, said: “There is an interesting mix of NHS Trusts in the top 10 list to have paid out the most in settled claims, many with as little as five, suggesting the errors made had a severe impact.

“The higher settlements are generally a result of there being long term care needs or loss of earnings, and are often the result of significant brain injuries, spinal injuries or serious limb injuries and amputations, to name a few.

“Recent research identified that the most common diagnostic errors which lead to serious injury or death are cancers, vascular events, such as strokes or heart attacks, and infections, like sepsis.”

Dr Kanchan Rege, Medical Director, for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said lessons were learnt by the trust following each case. She said : “The Trust investigates all incidents in order to learn lessons and minimise the risk of reoccurrence.

“The figures quoted relate to care provided some time prior to the year of settlement, as it can take some time for a claim to be settled, therefore there can be several historical claims included in the same year.”

In total ,the NHS was found liable for 1,441 cases across the country relating to wrongful, failed or delayed diagnosis last year, 348 fewer than the previous year, costing £370 million. In 2017/18 the total bill for the NHS reached £655 million.