Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has been urged to “minimise losses” after it was revealed medical negligence cases are costing the public purse almost £100,000 per day.
Figures on the payouts were provided in response to an Assembly Question from DUP health spokesperson Diane Dodds.
They revealed a total of £359, 279,000 has been paid out in relation to the claims between 2014 and 2024 by both the Department and its arms-length bodies; the five health trusts, NIAS, HSBC and RQIA.
Mr Nesbitt’s response also indicated the department no longer produced annual reports on the scale of clinical negligence payouts “due to resource constraints”.
The largest percentage (60%) of the claims relate to obstetrics, the branch of medicine and surgery relating to childbirth and midwifery.
Around a quarter of the money paid out also goes to satisfy legal costs associated with the claims.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt
Upper Bann MLA Mrs Dodds said there was a need for the department to drive down the costs associated with the medical negligence.
“Firstly, these people were compensated because there has been an error on the part of the Health Service,” she said. “We should be careful that when looking at the eye-watering sums of money, we remember that the claimants may have suffered some horrendous wrong.
“We are also mindful that only about three quarters of these sums reach the victims of negligence with approximately 25% expended on legal costs. At any point in time there tend to be about 4,000 negligence cases open in Northern Ireland with four or five hundred new cases added each year.
“This £360 million sum is taxpayers’ money that has been paid out as the result of negligence. We should be doing everything possible to promote high quality safe care and minimise these losses.”
Dianne Dodds
In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson said: “The Health Minister is committed to delivering safer, more effective, and sustainable healthcare as outlined in his three-year strategy.
“While negligence cases and contributing costs will always be a feature of any healthcare system the priority remains to minimise errors and improve patient safety.
“The department works closely with health trusts to strengthen clinical governance, enhance diagnostics and ensure lessons are learned to prevent recurrence.
“Prevention, early intervention, and patient safety to improve better outcomes for everyone are key priorities for the Health Minister.”
It comes after two separate multi-million pound payouts were awarded last year relating to injuries sustained by babies during labour.
A 12-year-old girl from Derry who suffered brain damage arising from negligent care during her birth received £21m from the Western Trust, who accepted full liability.
In a similar case which concluded in September 2024, the Northern Trust to paid out the same amount to the family of a 12-year-old boy who suffered similar negligence during labour.
Again the settlement included a full admission of liability on behalf of the Trust.