NHS legal bill to hit £2.6bn

THE bill for legal cases against the NHS will soar to £2.6billion in five years, a report warns today.

The cost last year was £1.5billion, £418million of it in claimants’ legal fees.

The Medical Protection Society report said the bill in clinical negligence cases had risen 72% in five years.

It wants average pay, not a patient’s actual salary, used in calculating payouts and a cap on bills for future care and legal fees.

The MPS said costs risk “becoming unsustainable”.