Birmingham Hospital Trust's 22.4 m Compensation Bill

A Birmingham hospital trust has paid out £22.4 million in damages and costs to patients – a sum which is the second highest in the country.

The trust runs Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals, and paid out the amount to 203 patients over the period 2015-16.

Damages alone cost the trust £13.7 million, with the remaining amount accounting for defence and claimant costs.

News of the payouts came as it was revealed that Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) is to be run jointly with University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust.

The merger followed an investigation into its finances by health watchdog Monitor after it was "badly managed" by former chief executive Mark Newbold and faced a £30 million deficit.

Lisa Jordan, head of the medical negligence team at Irwin Mitchell in the West Midlands, said:

"It is good to see that the NHSLA is increasing its focus on improving patient safety but much more could and should be done to reduce the number of avoidable errors.

"Those patients who have suffered serious harm as a result of negligent treatment need highly specialised lawyers to fight for fair compensation for them.

"Legal action also inevitably leads to improvements in patient safety to reduce the risk of further mistakes."

If your health has suffered because of medical negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Call our team in complete confidence on 0800 567 7272 to discuss your circumstances.

BLV Law

Medical Negligence Solicitors