Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, Senior Medicolegal Adviser at the Medical Protection Society, said:

“This is a positive step - the NHS paid out £1.5bn in clinical negligence costs in 2015/16, with legal costs accounting for 34 percent of that bill. In lower value claims it is not unusual to see lawyers' costs exceed the compensation awarded to claimants. It is right that steps are taken to control these costs, and a recent MPS survey showed the public agrees, with 70 percent saying it is inappropriate for law firms to advertise for clinical negligence cases in health care settings.  We look forward to seeing further commitment to stemming legal costs in the coming months as Government decides on the threshold for its fixed recoverable costs scheme, aimed at stopping lawyers charging excessive legal fees.”

END

Notes to editors

The amendment was announced as part of the NHS Five Year Forward View.

For a PDF of this press release, please click here

For further information contact [email protected] or call 0207 339 1428