NHS pays out a record £1.7bn for negligence

The NHS paid out more than £1billion in damages for medical negligence last year – a record high fuelled by maternity blunders, figures show.

Patients groups said the figures indicated the need to improve safety in hospitals, with particular concerns about the rising costs caused by catastrophic errors in childbirth.

Doctors said the trend – a doubling in overall negligence costs in a decade – showed the need to cap costs, in order to limit the amount being spent on lawyers.

Negligence claims cost £1.7billion in total – with almost £700,000 spent on lawyers, according to NHS Resolution.