NHS faces medical negligence bill of £2.6bn

The NHS is facing a bill for medical negligence of £2.6bn ($3.6bn), double the amount it faced in 1997, a new report from the National Audit Office stated this week. In addition, there is an estimated liability of a further £1.3bn relating to negligent episodes that are likely to have occurred but for which claims have not yet been received, it said. Pointing out that the rate of new claims per thousand finished consultant episodes rose sevenfold between 1995-6 and 1999-2000, the report proposed several radical solutions …