Commenting on the amendment to the NHS Standard Contract which will prevent law firms from operating from or touting for business in NHS premises from 2017/18
Post date: 31/03/2017 | Time to read article: 1 minsThe information within this article was correct at the time of publishing. Last updated 14/11/2018
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.”
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Notes to editors
The amendment was announced as part of the NHS Five Year Forward View.
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