NHS Redress Scheme - The Governments new initiative aimed at reducing legal fees in medical negligence compensation claims 

UPDATE: Please be aware that the government through 2009 shelved plans to progress this scheme. We await more news on whether the project will be resurrected

It is estimated that claims for clinical negligence account for 1% of the NHS budget annually.

This has led to a new initiative aimed at reducing costs in the sector. There is also a pressing need to allow genuine claimants to receive fair and reasonable compensation without having to sue the negligent Trust.

The entire legal process is being reviewed. The NHS Redress Scheme aims to speed up the medical negligence claim process and encourage a move away from the blame culture inherent in the NHS, promoting openness with the emphasis on learning from mistakes. The scheme also aims to target the money spent on litigation to redirecting it for the benefit of the injured patients.

In other words the money should go to the claimants not their lawyers. The NHS Redress Bill gives the Secretary of State the power to establish an NHS Redress Scheme and place a duty on providers and commissioners of hospital services to ensure patients receive a more consistent, speedy and appropriate response to clinical negligence.

The scheme will cover low monetary value claims, with the initial upper limit expected to be set at £20,000. It is designed to offer patients a real alternative to litigation, avoiding the long delays and legal costs typical of the current system."

Other key elements of the NHS Redress Bill and Scheme include:

Provision for patients to receive redress in the form of care.

A duty on all scheme members to appoint an appropriate person responsible for learning from mistakes. 

A more proactive approach to clinical negligence, with the onus no longer on the patient to initiate a claim.

All scheme members  will be required to review adverse incidents and trigger the scheme themselves, where appropriate.

Visit the official site: Dept of Health NHS Complaints procedures    

CALL 0800 0322210 - or if preferred contact our discreet ONLINE CHAT LINE - or complete our enquiry form opposite.

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