07.02.12
Something to complain about
The rise in negligence claims in the NHS is both shocking and expensive. More complaints suggest a fall in quality care and treatment, something which the NHS must continually work to improve, not least when there is an urgent need to cut costs and save money.
Although some of this increase can be attributed to a culture shift, with patients encouraged by lawyers to claim compensation in cases where they would not have previously considered doing so, this is not the sole reason.
Additionally, the Public Accounts Committee is right to criticise the Government for failing to modify their behaviour in response to this phenomenon. This trend should have been identified as a factor earlier in order to limit its effect on the NHS.
But the real problem is the hint of worsening performance; if so many people are making claims that means that the number that is truly legitimate is also rising. There needs to be in-depth research to determine the causes of this rise in negligence and decisive action to remedy the situation.
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