NHS insures every birth in England against ‘clinical negligence’ for £700

Based on the report released by National Audit Office, NHS spends nearly £700 on clinical negligence cover for every live birth in England.

17:23 08 November 2013

Giving birth is the most common reason why women get admitted to hospitals throughout England. For the last 10 years, the number of births has increased by almost a quarter.

The National Audit Office has recently conducted a research and they revealed that NHS spends nearly £700 on clinical negligence cover for every live birth in England.

Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge, said: "I find it absolutely scandalous that one fifth of all funding for maternity services, equivalent to around £700 per birth, is spent on clinical negligence cover."

Laura Blackwell, director of health value for money studies at the National Audit Office, said: "There has been an increase in claims and we don't cover exactly why. It is the same across the NHS.

"I think it's a complicated picture... further complicated by the fact it takes an average of four years for a claim to be settled... so it's quite hard to draw conclusions about the current state of care."

Meanwhile Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter, said: "The NHS remains one of the safest places in the world to have a baby, but on rare occasions care falls below acceptable standards and unsafe care should never be tolerated."