Worst hospitals cost NHS £300m

Hospitals at the centre of patient care scandals have cost the NHS almost £300 million in damages over the past five years, according to official figures.

The hospitals, which have all been investigated over high death rates, are costing a central NHS insurance scheme up to twice as much as they pay in. The shortfall means that some of the best-performing hospitals in England now have to foot the bill for thousands of cases of neglect at the worst.

The NHS Litigation Authority, the body which oversees claims against the NHS, has issued scores of trusts with official warnings over the high value of their claims.

Last year, the NHS paid out more than £1.3 billion in compensation and legal fees for thousands of people harmed by poor care. The figure is likely to rise, with the number of claims expected to increase to around 12,000 by the end of the year.

According to official figures, nine of the 14 hospitals investigated over high death rates have cost the NHS significantly more than they have paid into the insurance scheme.

This article is courtesy from The Telegraph.