From 2019 to 2024, 109 A&E negligence claims were lodged and 62 ended up with settlements, reports Sophie Mitchell
The number of claims against Barts NHS Trust for A&E negligence has risen year on year since 2019, resulting in over £15m in settlements, figures from Medical Negligence Assist reveal.
Barts Trust operates Whipps Cross Hospital in Leyton, in addition to The Royal London, St Bartholomew’s and Newham Hospitals. They provide healthcare to around 2.5 million people in East London.
Negligence in A&E can include failure to provide care to the expected standard, inadequate examination, delays in diagnosis and treatment and ignoring symptoms.
From 2019 to 2024, 109 A&E negligence claims were lodged and 62 ended up with settlements. In 2019/20, there were 15 settlements, and by 2023/24, the number had risen to 33.
The trust has paid out £15,071,168 in total over the past five years, with the highest annual amount being paid in 2022/23, at £7,359,698.
Sophie Cope, medical negligence solicitor for JF Law, said: “The growing rate of negligence in A&E services brings into sharp focus a deeply concerning trend within our National Health Service. The amount of money trusts have had to pay out in compensation reflects the severe impact these incidents have had on patients’ lives.”
On a national level, NHS Resolution paid £2.8 billion in cash to people harmed by clinical negligence in the 2023/24 financial year. A record high, the Public Accounts Committee called for there to be more done to protect patient welfare and reduce the ‘jaw-dropping’ costs.
The causes of the rise in A&E negligence claims in Barts NHS Trust, and the UK as a whole, are likely as a result of overwhelmed NHS services, caused by staff shortages, long waiting lists and overcrowding. The pressure on waiting lists has also increased the strain on A&E services, with some patients having to wait days at a time for treatment, often spending time on hospital corridors.
The most common reason for claims made against the NHS was failed or delayed diagnosis, making up 2,224 claims over the past five years. The second most common was failed or delayed treatment with 1,911 claims.
A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust said: “With 1,500 patients being seen each day, more people attend our A&E departments than anywhere else in England. We are committed to delivering high-quality care to all emergency care patients, and our focus for the next twelve months will be transforming our services and ways of working to continuously make improvements and ensure the care we provide patients is of the highest standard.”
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