§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 20 May 1999,Official Report, column 425, how much compensation has been paid (a) to persons left with surgical detritus inside them following an operation and (b) to the relatives of those who died as a consequence of such negligence in each of the last three years. [86650]
§ Mr. DenhamThe National Health Service Litigation Authority reports that payments in respect of claims arising from a foreign body left inside a patient following surgery amounted to £1,073,192 in the period 1 April 1995 to date.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many actions were brought against NHS trusts alleging negligence arising from surgical detritus left in wounds following an operation for the most recent year for which figures are available. [87671]
§ Mr. Denham252 claims arising from foreign bodies left inside a patient were reported to the National Health Service Litigation Authority in the period 1 April 1995 to date.