NHS Clinical Negligence Caused 8,000 Deaths in 13 Years

MANCHESTER, England, November 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Statistics released last week show that NHS clinical negligence has led to a record number of claims involving deaths being made against the health service.

In total, over the course of the last 13 years more than 8,000 NHS patients have died as a result of clinical negligence on the part of doctors, nurses and other healthcare employees like paramedics.

Experts believe that this figure may be only scratching the surface of the issue, due to the large number of families who have chosen not to launch a clinical negligence compensation claim.

Early indications for 2010-11 suggest that figures this year will be even higher than previous years; however the government claims that this is due to the fact that many claims are coming to fruition this year which involve deaths from previous years.

Eddie Jones, Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence at Manchester law firm JMW Solicitors, commented: "We need to be able to trust the doctors, nurses and paramedics employed by the NHS; in fact, the majority of them do a fantastic job in very difficult conditions.

"However, these statistics and my experience as a clinical negligence solicitor suggest that there is a significant minority of NHS staff who, whether it's a result of inadequate training or incredibly long hours, are negligent, and that negligence costs lives.

"It's awful to think that this many people have died as the result of blunders on the part of the NHS, and even worse to think that yet more have died and yet no claim has been launched.

"If a person dies as the result of NHS negligence we understand that no amount of money will bring them back, however it can help to cover bills and medical fees and it is a legal right for those who have been robbed of family members by the mistakes of another person."

The figures were uncovered by Conservative MP Chris Skidmore, a member of the Commons Health Select Committee.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Skidmore said such levels of poor care must never be allowed to happen again, and commented: "We must now do more to improve patient care, particularly of the elderly and vulnerable."

JMW Solicitors LLP is a leading Manchester law firm and offers a broad range of legal services to both commercial and private clients. The firm employs a team of clinical negligence solicitors and specialises in claiming compensation for mistakes made by medical professionals. For more information visit http://www.jmw.co.uk/

Eddie Jones, Partner and Head of Clinical Negligence, tel +44(0)161-828-1934, email eddie.jones@jnw.co.uk