NHS: Negligence
Health
Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence proceedings have been brought against the NHS in the last 12 months; and to which types of adverse incident each relate.
Simon Burns (Minister of State (Health), Health; Chelmsford, Conservative)
The information requested is in the following table:
| Number of clinical negligence claims where proceedings were issued during 2011 | |||
| Claim notified to NHS litigation authority | |||
| Injury | Before 2011 | During 2011 | Total |
| Addiction/dependency | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Additional/unnecessary operation(s) | 159 | 159 | 318 |
| Advanced stage cancer | 16 | 19 | 35 |
| Amputation—lower | 38 | 29 | 67 |
| Amputation—upper | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Anal fissure | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Anaphylactic shock/allergic shock/allergy | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Aneurysm | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Arterial damage | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Benign tumour | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Bile duct damage | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Bladder damage | 14 | 16 | 30 |
| Blindness | 20 | 10 | 30 |
| Bodily harm/murder | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bowel damage/dysfunction | 31 | 27 | 58 |
| Brain damage | 80 | 33 | 113 |
| Bruising/extravasation | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Burn(s) | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Cancer | 14 | 23 | 37 |
| Cardiac arrest | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Cardiovascular condition | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Cerebral palsy | 73 | 8 | 81 |
| Chronic fatigue syndrome | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Compartment syndrome | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Cosmetic disfigurement | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| Cystic growth | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Deafness | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Decompression illness | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dental damage | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| Developmental delay | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Dislocation | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Down’s syndrome | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Epilepsy | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Erb's palsy | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Failed sterilization | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fatality | 121 | 155 | 276 |
| Fistula | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Foot drop | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| Fracture | 43 | 40 | 83 |
| HIV | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hernia | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Hospital acquired infection | 3 | 17 | 20 |
| Impotence | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Incontinence | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Infectious diseases | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Infertility | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Joint damage | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Limb deformity | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Liver damage | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Liver transplant | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Loss of baby | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Loss of kidney | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Loss of sexual function | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Loss of/damage to breast | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Lung disease | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Malignant tumour | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Malnutrition | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Meningitis | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Multiple disabilities | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Multiple injuries | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Nerve damage | 54 | 61 | 115 |
| Not specified | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Osteoporosis | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Other | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| Other infection | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Other visual problems | 21 | 24 | 45 |
| Paraplegia | 12 | 1 | 13 |
| Partial hearing loss | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Partial paralysis | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Perforation | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Peritonitis | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Poor outcome—fractures etc. | 73 | 44 | 117 |
| Pressure sores | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| Psychiatric/psychological damage | 42 | 58 | 100 |
| Radiation exposure | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Reduced life expectancy | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Removal of fallopian tube | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Removal of testicle | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Renal damage/failure | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Respiratory disorder/failure | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Rupture | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Scarring | 11 | 12 | 23 |
| Spinal damage | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| Stillborn | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Stroke | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Tendon damage | 12 | 6 | 18 |
| Tetraplegia/quadriplegia | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Thrombosis/embolism | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| Thyroid condition | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tissue damage | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Tuberculosis | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Unnecessary pain | 128 | 174 | 302 |
| Unwanted pregnancy | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Wrongful birth | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Total | 1,250 | 1,195 | 2,445 |
| Source: NHS Litigation Authority. | |||