The government intends to impose a new, fixed cap on all clinical negligence cases up to £25,000 to prevent rising litigation costs within the NHS. There are numerous examples of lawyers who profit from the NHS by charging more than 80 times the amount awarded to the victims in minor claims.

In one case, lawyers claimed £83,000 in legal costs for a case in which the patient was awarded £1,000. These costs contributed to a total bill for the NHS of £1.5 billion in financial year 2015 to 2016.

Currently, there is no limit on legal costs that can be recouped and the money claimed by lawyers takes vital funds away from NHS trusts. It is expected the new cap will help the NHS save up to £45 million a year.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

It’s important that when significant mistakes happen in the NHS, patients are able to have an open dialogue with a trust about what went wrong, receive reassurance of what is being learnt, and can discuss what form of recompense or redress may be appropriate. Legal action should only be one part of this process.

Unfortunately, what we often see in lower cost claims is a deeply unfair system where unscrupulous law firms cream off excessive legal costs that dwarf the actual damages recovered. We believe this creates an adversarial culture of litigation, which is inflating insurance premiums and drawing away resource from the NHS at a crucial time.

Andrew Foster, Chief Executive at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, said:

The introduction of a fixed recoverable cost for lower value claims would support more proportionate payment to claimant lawyers – which alongside improvements to the system should make things quicker and better for patients. This seems fair and appropriate recognising this all comes out of the NHS pot. Less money spent on legal costs will mean more to put into improved patient care at a local level.

See consultation on plans for fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims.

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on a report from The UK
in a Changing Europe, ‘A successful Brexit – four economic tests’, said:

“This
is an important and detailed piece of work which should be looked at seriously
by everyone involved in the Brexit negotiations.

"It
is vital for the good of the country that we can hold the Government to account
using a series of tests like this, but to do so we will need much greater
openness and transparency than the Government has shown so far.

"That’s
why Labour’s amendments to the Bill in Parliament this week will seek to
require regular progress reports from the Government and full Parliamentary
scrutiny.”

Ken Skates announced his impending visit to China  at the North Wales Export Forum  – one of two events being held to reinforce the Welsh Government’s focus on exports and exporters as the UK prepares for life outside of the EU. 

The Economy Secretary said: 

“I am pleased to have attended both the South Wales and North Wales Export Forum and to have spoken directly to some of our most influential exporters as we prepare for life outside the EU. 

“Increasing the value of exports and the number of exporters in Wales have been central pillars of our economic strategy for some time and at this time of change it is more important than ever that we focus on strengthening our trade relations with countries across the world. 

“We already have a comprehensive range of support to help companies export and have been proactive in some of the world’s largest markets for some time. 

“And I am pleased to confirm that next month I will be joining  18 Welsh companies as part of their next trade mission to China  with a view to expanding our trade relations and building on  what is already a strong and thriving relationship. 

“As part of my trip I will be visiting Chongqing and Shanghai and am optimistic that both my  visit and the trade  mission will enable Welsh companies to win new export business in China.

“This is borne out by experience as my visit and the  trade  mission to Japan last October  has already resulted in £1.4m of orders and potential contracts for the businesses that travelled there. 

“I think we all recognise there are challenging times ahead for businesses.  I am determined to make sure that we do what we can to help businesses  maintain and, indeed, grow their export business as the UK transitions out of the EU.” 

One of the companies attending the February trade mission to China and Hong Kong  is Wrexham based, specialist manufacturer Conren. Their company export manager, Veronica Dawson said:  

“Exporting is key to our business and we currently export to over 30 markets around the world. It has greatly benefitted our business, providing an essential source of revenue, and it has also encouraged us to be more innovative as we develop our products to meet challenges in the global marketplace.

“The Welsh Government has been key to our export success, providing support and advice as we look to new markets. The Export Forum provided a  great opportunity for us to  meet other exporters from across Wales and hear how other companies are preparing for the future, and we are very much looking forwarding to next month’s trade mission.” 

Ken Skates announced his impending visit to China  at the North Wales Export Forum  – one of two events being held to reinforce the Welsh Government’s focus on exports and exporters as the UK prepares for life outside of the EU. 

The Economy Secretary said: 

“I am pleased to have attended both the South Wales and North Wales Export Forum and to have spoken directly to some of our most influential exporters as we prepare for life outside the EU. 

“Increasing the value of exports and the number of exporters in Wales have been central pillars of our economic strategy for some time and at this time of change it is more important than ever that we focus on strengthening our trade relations with countries across the world. 

“We already have a comprehensive range of support to help companies export and have been proactive in some of the world’s largest markets for some time. 

“And I am pleased to confirm that next month I will be joining  18 Welsh companies as part of their next trade mission to China  with a view to expanding our trade relations and building on  what is already a strong and thriving relationship. 

“As part of my trip I will be visiting Chongqing and Shanghai and am optimistic that both my  visit and the trade  mission will enable Welsh companies to win new export business in China.

“This is borne out by experience as my visit and the  trade  mission to Japan last October  has already resulted in £1.4m of orders and potential contracts for the businesses that travelled there. 

“I think we all recognise there are challenging times ahead for businesses.  I am determined to make sure that we do what we can to help businesses  maintain and, indeed, grow their export business as the UK transitions out of the EU.” 

One of the companies attending the February trade mission to China and Hong Kong  is Wrexham based, specialist manufacturer Conren. Their company export manager, Veronica Dawson said:  

“Exporting is key to our business and we currently export to over 30 markets around the world. It has greatly benefitted our business, providing an essential source of revenue, and it has also encouraged us to be more innovative as we develop our products to meet challenges in the global marketplace.

“The Welsh Government has been key to our export success, providing support and advice as we look to new markets. The Export Forum provided a  great opportunity for us to  meet other exporters from across Wales and hear how other companies are preparing for the future, and we are very much looking forwarding to next month’s trade mission.”