NHS Resolution: Annual report and accounts 2022/23 (13 July 2023)

Summary

This annual report looks back at the work undertaken by NHS Resolution in 2022-23. NHS Resolution is an arm’s-length body of the Department of Health and Social Care, responsible for providing expertise to the NHS on resolving concerns and disputes fairly, sharing learning for improvement and preserving resources for patient care.

Content

Key points highlighted in this report include:

• 17,116 clinical and non-clinical claims were resolved in 2022/23 compared with 16,484 in 2021/22.
• The total number of new clinical negligence claims and reported incidents across primary and secondary care reached 13,511, which was 1,567 less than the previous year.
• Clinical claims received (Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts and Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice) increased by 1,019 claims, or 8.6%. The volume of non-clinical claims reported in 2022/23 is comparable to 2021/22 although remains lower than pre-pandemic levels.
• Payments against all NHS Resolution clinical schemes for 2022/23 were £2.73 billion (£2.4 billion in 2020/21) in total – which comprised damages paid to claimants of £1,992 million (£1,775.3 million in 2021/23), claimant legal costs of £490.9 million (£470.9 million in 2021/22) and NHS legal costs of £158.8 million (£156.6 million in 2021/22).
• In 2022/23 the ‘annual cost of harm’ for CNST was £6,278 million. This is a decrease of £7,007 million compared to the previous year (in 2021/22 the cost of harm for CNST was £13,285 million). The decrease is primarily due to the change in His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) discount rates which has had the effect of significantly reducing the value of claims. If HMT discount rate changes for 2022/23 were not applied, the equivalent cost of harm for CNST for 2022/23 would have been £12,631 million.
• NHS Resolution published six thematic reviews on claims concerning emergency medicine, complications of the lower limb in diabetes, General Practice and Early Notification Scheme.
• NHS Resolution held an in-person national maternity conference attended by 215 delegates (including 77 trusts) aimed at sharing the experiences of families, maternity units and maternity safety experts.