Scottish NHS & pregnancy negligence

NHS Health Scotland has spent over seventy million pounds settling pregnancy negligence claims in the last three years. Unless something is done, that number will surely rise as another ninety claims are still pending.

Concerned health officials warn that the costs will trickle down and effect care at the patient level. That, in turn, could snowball into even more negligence compensation claims in the long run.

While the Scottish government states that the claims are used as learning experiences, disciplinary action is almost never taken even in cases with large compensation payouts.

Health spokesman Jackson Carlaw had this to say about the situation: "The problem we have is compensation seems to increase without direct accountability; no one is ever disciplined for negligence. This easy rush to compensation will, in the medium term, lead to higher insurance health premiums which NHS health boards will only be able to meet at the expense of front line services."

Genuine claims almost always result in a significant compensation pay out.

Stillbirths and deaths are extremely costly, and physical or mental damage can see the NHS paying for lifetime care of the victim.

Mr Carlaw stresses that too often compensation is used as a way to sweep clinical negligence under the rug. “To reduce the need for claims those responsible should be held to account, lessons learned and procedures changed to prevent repeat incidents," he said.

The NHS denies that compensation is used as a cover for negligence and that hospital boards take safety very seriously.

The Scottish government is implementing a cutting edge safety program in response to the growing claims. It is currently working a program specifically designed for pregnancy and maternity wards.  Rough estimates indicate that those changes in safety procedures could cut the cost of litigation and compensation in the future.