Shocking statistics, obtained by Medical Negligence Assist via freedom of information requests, uncovered the extent of taxpayers’ spending since the turn of the decade.
Shocking statistics, obtained by Medical Negligence Assist via freedom of information requests, uncovered the extent of taxpayers’ spending since the turn of the decade.
A staggering £91,817,142 has been forked out in total between 2020/21 and 2024/25 by 94 trusts in England, but the NHS reports that 29 of them did not hand over a single penny.
Of the 65 that did, 19 of them faced at least five or more gynaecological claims each year – Barts Health NHS Trust was one of them.
In total, the trust was challenged by 42 claims – settling 26 of them at a sum of £1,418,439 – meaning each successful claimant walked away with an average of £54,555.
In 2020/21, the service did not report having paid out any sum to claimants in relation to gynaecological negligence – this could be down to the its policy in not identifying the sum paid out if less than five claimants received a fee.
However, the following financial year it paid £523,500 in damages, before dropping to £139,500 in 2022/23, and £292,089 in 2023/24.
Last financial year, the trust compensated female patients an unnerving £463,350.
Elsewhere in the capital, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust managed to keep its coffers shut.
Despite facing 44 claims spread over the five years, its lawyers fought hard against disgruntled patients – leaving each empty-handed.
While there were 29 other trusts who also refused to settle with claimants, the Chelsea-based teaching hospital palmed off the most – with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust having denied the second-most claimants a payout – 34.
The same can’t be said for East London’s Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust – which saw the largest hike up of compensation paid out.
In 2020/21, the trust paid out £278,455. Fast-forward four years, that figure rose to an eye-watering £2,466,521 – an increase of 8.8 times.
The data uncovers the true extent of medical negligence in the service, and now solicitor Gareth LLoyd, head of medical negligence at JF Law, has urged the Labour government to intervene.
He said: “The figures paint a distressing time for women. As the data shows, negligence in gynaecological care can lead to serious injuries such as infertility, bladder and bowel problems, which can throw people’s lives upside down.
“With the Labour government promising to tackle problems within the NHS, this £100 million compensation bill should prompt them to take a hard look at gynaecology and to put an effective plan in place to tackle the issues and raise the standard of care.
“More needs to be done to protect women in the UK, and for those women who suffered due to medical negligence, they deserve to be compensated.”
The primary injury claimants filed nationally was that of ‘unnecessary pain’ – with 418 having been recorded in the last five years, while notably, there were 62 people who sought damages for ‘infertility’.
While the damages paid out by NHS trusts in England in its most recent figures on record were almost £2 million less compared to those handed out in 2023/24, it came during a time of widespread strikes at the service.
In 2020/21, £17,782,455 was paid out, with £18,777,210 handed out in 2021/22, a further £18,013,131 in 2022/23, £19,565,601 in 2023/24 and 2024/25 saw patients be compensated £17,678,745.
In total there were 150 cancer-related claims – 62 of which were tragically filed by women who caught their cancer in advanced stages due to the negligence of NHS trusts in England.
The figures follow a recent survey carried out by researchers at Imperial College London that found that gynaecologists and obstetricians recorded high-levels of burnout since 2020.
The World Health Organisation recognise ‘burnout’ as an ‘occupational phenomenon’ and results in workers feeling exhausted and if left unchecked, it can lead to a lack of empathy and compassion towards patients.
The 2022 survey found that out of the 1,114 doctors who participated, 72% met the criteria for burnout.
Medical Negligence Assist offers expert legal support and advice to those affected by gynaecology negligence. You can book a free consultation or call their 24-hour helpline by visiting their website.
