Northern Ireland medical negligence costs double in a year
The amount of government money spent on medical negligence cases and legal fees in Northern Ireland doubled within a year.
Just over £20m was paid out during 2020-21 but that increased to more than £40m in the 2021-22 financial year.
Last year, £30.7m was paid out in damages, while £5.9m went on plaintiff costs and £3.7m in defence costs.
The increase in cost is being attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, 3,987 clinical negligence cases were open. Almost half (1,813) of all cases open in 2021-22 related to four specialties:
- Obstetrics - 564
- Accident and emergency - 456
- Neurology - 407
- General surgery - 386
There has been a stark increase in the number of cases relating to neurology in the past five years from 23 in 2017-18 to 407 in 2021-22.
Source: BBC News, 24 April 2023