Errors by medical staff in Scotland have cost the NHS £213m during the last six years, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
The Scottish Herald reports:
MEDICAL negligence payouts have cost the NHS in Scotland more than £200 million over the past six years, with the cost of hospital blunders set to rise further after a near-20% surge in claims being filed.
Since 2006, the NHS in Scotland has paid £213.3m – an average of £35.6m per year – in damages to patients who have been harmed or relatives who have lost loved ones because of serious errors by medical staff.
The total includes compensation payouts, health boards’ defence bills and the cost of reimbursing successful claimants’ legal expenses.