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Medical Litigation Costs Soar In Northern England During 2007

Published Thursday, August 14, 2008 by education92454 | E-mail this post

Medical Negligence claims in Yorkshire cost taxpayers 161 million.

The Yorkshire post today publicised the fact that soaring litigation costs are hitting the NHS card. This followed a news bulletin from the NHS Litigation Authority stating that litigation costs were spiralling out of control.

Whilst this fact on its own cannot be disputed, it hides a more serious issue regarding the state of health care within the huge edifice that is the NHS. The simple truth is that the NHS is failing thousands of patients in delivering a sub-standard level of care.

Every week there are stories within the national press about the filthy conditions that many patients find themselves in whilst hospitalized. Superbug infections such as MRSA and CDifficile are rife and there are many thousands of instances of outright negligence on the part of medical doctors.

Our legal service deals with hundreds of medical negligence enquiries every month. From patients who come to us for advice following accidents or problems that occur whilst receiving treatment. Many cases revolve around poor advice from consultants and GPs'.

We believe that the surge in compensation claims results from two fundamental arguments that cannot be denied.

The first is that people are now more aware of their legal rights when things go wrong. Legal advisors are readily available on the internet and with No win No fee arrangements available to all. Legal aid (now known as public funding) can still be obtained to pursue clinical negligence claims.

The second argument concerns the fact that mistakes continue to be made within the healthcare system. Whether this be a result of a lack of hygiene (re superbugs) or negligence on the part of the medical staff - the inescapable truth is that errors will always happen when the system is so over stretched.

Many claims for medical negligence involve serious injury which accounts for the high costs legal in many instances. This simple truth is rarely talked about when you read the press articles about the compensation culture.

We are lucky to have an institution such as the NHS. We are fortunate indeed to have many of the worlds best doctors working in the NHS and one can only hope that they are given the funding and the capacity to fulfil their ambitions.

Law firms will continue to help those that fall victim to negligent acts and the only way to reduce costs and the numbers of claims in this sector - is to invest heavily in the future of the NHS and associated bodies.

Martin Nolan is a legal marketer working for UK Medical negligence solicitors. For more articles visit http://www.theclaimsconnection.co.uk

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Medical Litigation Costs Soar In Northern England During 2007

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College Humor: Medical Litigation Costs Soar In Northern England During 2007

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