Key Summary
- Hundreds of babies and women died or suffered life-altering conditions and this had sparked a record number of legal claims
- The NHS Resolution report claims that the potential bill for maternity negligence since 2019 is £27.4bn
- This is higher than the NHS budget of £18bn for newborns over the past six years
The maternity failings in England over the past few years could cost the NHS over £27 billion, according to a report.
Health secretary Wes Streeting last month launched a national investigation into NHS maternity services after numerous hospital scandals were reported.
Hundreds of babies and women died or suffered life-altering conditions, and this sparked a record number of legal claims.
The number of families taking legal action against the NHS for obstetrics errors rose to nearly 1,400 a year in 2023, The Guardian reports.
The NHS Resolution report claims that the potential bill for maternity negligence since 2019 is £27.4bn.
This is higher than the NHS budget of £18bn for newborns over the past six years.
The resolution report found that in 2024/25 the NHS paid out £3.1bn in compensation and associated costs overall.
It noted that some claims are settled with multi-year payments into the future as Periodical Payment Orders (PPOs), hence the compensation would be higher.
The government investigation will look at “systemic” failures in maternity and neonatal units across the country.
It will urgently look at the worst-performing maternity and neonatal services in the country and submit a report by December this year.
During the safety inspections conducted between 2022 and 2024 at 131 NHS maternity units across England, two-thirds were classed as “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.
The Care Quality Commission said issues like staff shortages were “systemic” and “widespread”, with almost half of the 131 maternity units it reviewed performing below standard.
