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Thalidomide survivors in line for £18,000 a year compensation

(The Scotsman 16/11/2009)

SURVIVORS of the thalidomide tragedy are set to benefit from a multimillion-pound settlement with the UK government. Campaigners have fought for increased payments for those who suffered deformities as a result of their mothers taking the drug during pregnancy. They now believe they are close to reaching a deal which would give each of the 460 remaining thalidomiders an average of £18,000 a year. It is also thought that the British state will issue a public apology over its role in the tragedy.

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NHS compensation ad warning

(BBC 15/09/2009)

Hospitals in Wales are being told by the health minister to stop handing out leaflets which include advertisements offering help to claim compensation. Edwina Hart said it is "highly inappropriate" for the NHS to advertise services from personal injury lawyers. She had written to all NHS trusts about it but was "disappointed" adverts were still used at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales. Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust said the leaflet was distributed by mistake.

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Call to cap NHS damages pay

(The Scotsman 14/09/2009)

LABOUR has called for a cap on compensation payouts from the NHS over medical blunders. New figures show this reached ?26 million in Scotland last year - double that of the previous 12 months. Labour health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson is calling for a shake-up of the system. "NHS patients have the right to make complaints and receive compensation when things go wrong," she said. "But these figures provide yet more evidence that the current system is cumbersome and expensive."

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'Ambulance-chasing' lawyers make '£3million every week out of NHS blunders

(Daily Mail 12/09/2008)

Lawyers are pocketing '£1 in every '£2 paid out to victims of NHS blunders. Legal firms are bringing in a total of more than '£3million every week as the compensation culture booms.

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NHS bill from lawyers 'soaring'

(BBC 12/09/2008)

Fees being charged by solicitors acting for patients in NHS compensation claims have soared, the BBC has learned. The annual bill in England now tops £90m - a 122% increase in four years despite the number of cases remaining relatively stable.

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