Obstetrics cases to the fore as local NHS bill for negligence payouts hits £35m in past year

HEALTH bosses have paid out more than £35m in the past year because of failings in our hospitals and care sector, according to official figures.

The largest proportion of the negligence claims dealt with by the NHS related to failings in the treatment of pregnant women, with 674 obstetrics cases.

Statistics released by the Department of Health show that a total of £116.7m has been paid out to date on the 3,734 medical negligence claims that were open during 2017/18.

Of this, £88.9m was awarded in damages, £18.2m in plaintiff costs and £9.7m in defence costs.

More than half of the £116.7m went towards settling claims relating to care provided to expectant mums, according to the figures.

Nicholas Quinn, a medical negligence solicitor from O’Muirigh Solicitors in west Belfast, said: “The prevalence of obstetrics cases may relate to the potential magnitude of significant harm suffered in childbirth by both the child and mother.

“This would be a strong reason why such cases are taken in the first place.

“One further reason may of course relate to the well-report3,734 ed staffing pressures in maternity wards in health trusts in general.”

According to the figures, there were 629 active cases last year arising out of care delivered in Northern Ireland’s emergency departments.

Obstetrics, emergency medicine, general surgery and trauma and orthopaedics accounted for over half of all negligence cases being dealt with by the health service last year.

It has also emerged that failure

or a delay in diagnosis or treatment were the reason for the majority of all cases.

Cases were also being taken for assaults on patients as well as allegations of sexual abuse.

The numbers of babies affected by the allegations of negligence has risen steadily between 2014/15 and 2017/18, from 378 to 422.

The largest number of cases relate to patients aged between 19 and 34.

More than 2% had been open more than 10 years, while 103 of cases open last year dated back to before 1993.

The Department of Health document revealed disparities in the amount of money paid by the trusts in recent years.

The Western Trust paid 50% more last year compared to 2014/15, and the Northern Trust’s bill for medical negligence rose by more than £4m, or a 100% increase, from 2014/15 and 2017/18.

However, the cost of medical negligence to the Belfast Trust dropped from £13m in 2014/15 to just under £12m last year.

Overall, the amount paid on clinical and social care negligence cases decreased by £5.7m between 2014/15 and 2017/18.

Karen Murray, director for Northern Ireland at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Every case where a woman or baby suffers harm is a tragedy and we should be doing all we can to reduce the possibility of this happening.

“This means ensuring all our hospitals have the staff and equipment they need to ensure that they can deliver the safest care to mothers, babies and their families.

“The systems that are in place to deliver care must also support midwives, doctors and their colleagues to be able to work to the best of their ability to deliver that safe, effective and high quality care.”