APIL Looking To Curb NHS Claims

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) are looking at proposals for reducing the cost of NHS claims over the next year. Muiris Lyons, was quoted as saying, “We as lawyers owe a wider duty to society to ensure that the cost of claims remains both proportionate and reasonable… We can’t ignore that there are significant costs to the NHS. We know how the system works and can improve it without restricting access to justice for our clients.”

A recent report by the NHS Litigation Authority highlighted that in 2008/09 the NHS paid out over £807million in compensation claims.

It is also claimed that costs spiral because the NHS takes too long to settle claims. Medical negligence lawyer, Russell Levy, spoke about the NHS unwillingness to speed up claims in a recent BBC news story (source). “They (the NHS) hope the harder they make it and the more they discourage people, they will go away,” he said. “By the time they accept the inevitable, it costs much more than it should.”

It will be interesting to see what action APIL proposes to help speed up the process in the coming months ahead.