Clinical Negligence Claims could increase due to NHS waiting times

A worrying report by the National Audit Office (NAO), the public spending watchdog, has voiced concerned that increased waiting times in the NHS could lead to a spike in Clinical Negligence claims.

In a report, NHS waiting times for elective and cancer treatment, the NAO notes that the elective care waiting list increased by 1.5 million from March 2013 to November 2018. The number waiting more than 18 weeks grew by 357,000 while, the number of people treated each month increased from 1.2 million to 1.3 million.

At present, nearly 40% of negligence claims against the NHS are related to failures or delays in diagnosis or treatment. This may rise if the delays continue.

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