NHS facing £700m negligence bill

In a time of global recession, some good news for personal injury lawyers and, in due course, costs draftsmen and other costs professionals in the announcement that clinical negligence payouts by the NHS in England are expected to rise by 80% next year.

The BBC reports that Steve Walker, chief executive of the NHS Litigation Authority, said part of the increase was prompted by a recent ruling in the Court of Appeal - the Thompstone judgment - which changes the way that payments for care are calculated.

He also said the move to more "no win no fee" cases had increased costs "dramatically" because it meant that solicitors were picking their cases carefully.

"The proportion of successful claims has gone up and is rising," he said.

"Legal practices are businesses and why not try and double your income for the same amount of work."