APIL executive committee member Suzanne Trask said:

“The committee clearly recognises that every pound spent on clinical negligence claims is because of harm and suffering which could and should have been avoided, and that much misery has arisen from the NHS’s failure to learn lessons. Previous investigations into NHS negligence claims have often sidestepped the bigger picture on patient safety.

“Being open and honest about failures in care is key to making sure that harm is not repeated. But the NHS’s statutory duty of candour is not adhered to across the board, leaving vulnerable injured patients in the dark about what has happened to them. Transparency would reduce delays in patients receiving redress, in turn cutting the legal costs, which must be accepted as an inevitable consequence of ensuring injured victims of clinical negligence have access to justice.”