Plans to reform pay-outs for NHS errors

Moves to introduce radical reform of the way victims of medical mistakes are compensated are to be set in motion by the Government today.

The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Liam Donaldson, is to be asked to chair a committee into how procedures can be overhauled and speeded up, amid fears that NHS litigation costs could soar in future years.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn will use the committee's findings to draw up a White Paper, to be published early next year, aimed at changing the way complaints are dealt with and compensation paid.

Complaints against the National Health Service currently take an average of five-and-a-half years to be settled - and in 41% of cases, the legal costs of litigation amount to more than the eventual settlement.

The committee will consider changes such as no-fault compensation, under which settlements can be reached without anyone having to admit blame, and a fixed tariff of payments for certain mistakes.

It will also look at introducing structured settlements, under which pay-outs are made over time rather than in one lump sum.

There could also be specialist judges to mediate and adjudicate on cases.

A Government source said: "This is not about cutting costs.

"It is about speeding up the procedures and getting something that is faster and fairer for patients."

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