By: 16 September 2013

Compensation claims arising from negligence within the NHS have grown in size in London, with some hospital trusts having to pay more than double the amount in damages than they did the year before.

 

Figures obtained by the London Evening Standard from the NHS Litigation Authority have show that the total paid in damages to patients in the last financial year from 41 heath trusts in London was £172 million, up from £166 million the year before.

 

More than half of the payouts have been for incidents taking place on maternity units. London hospitals settled £89 million in obstetrics claims including cases where babies ended up severely disabled at birth.

 

Barts Health NHS Trust, South London Healthcare NHS Trust, Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and North West London Hospitals NHS Trust had the highest compensation bills among London trusts, with Barts having paid the most of any trust in the country (£24.4 million). Great Ormond Street settled £3.3 million of claims, up from £1.7 million.