§ Sir Peter LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total cost of legal advice, damages and out of court settlements met by the NHS in defending or resolving claims made by former patients and their families in the most recent year for which figures are available. [9623]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation in the form requested is not kept centrally. Payments made in respect of compensation under legal obligation and clinical negligence/personal injury cases settled out of court in England in 1995–96 are shown in the table.
£000 Compensation under legal obligation 48,730 Clinical negligence with qualified legal advice 110,672 Personal injury with qualified legal advice 12,925 Other clinical negligence and personal injury without qualified legal advice 1,033 Total 173,360 Source:
1. Annual accounts of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate hospitals.
2. Annual accounts of NHS trusts.