Solicitors specialising in clinical negligence claims have reported an increase in the number of claims they are investigating against hospitals following the release of the Keogh report. A number of solicitors firms have seen an increase in patients looking to pursue claims for compensation against East Lancashire NHS trust; which was one of those that was highlighted for delivering a poor standard of care in Sir Keogh’s report.

The Keogh report into the standard of care in hospitals in England was triggered by abnormally high death rates at a number of hospitals in England. The results of the NHS’s medical director’s investigations, released on 16th July, highlighted a number of fundamental failings including inadequate staffing levels and poor management. Following Sir Bruce Keogh’s report, some eleven hospital trusts in England were placed into ‘special measures’, including East Lancashire.

The actual number of claims to be faced by East Lancashire hospitals in the light of the Keogh review is unclear, although it does seem that the report has prompted the families of those who have received poor hospital treatment to come forward.

Val Bertenshaw, director of operations at ELHT, said: “We are unable to comment as we are unaware of the detail surrounding these cases.”

Tameside Hospital, another trust that was criticised in the Keogh report, has confirmed that they currently have 87 claims open with the NHS Litigation Authority. The Department of Health said: “The vast majority of patients get good, safe care”.

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Our expert forensic accountants can be instructed by either the claimant or defendant in such cases, or in some cases, we are jointly instructed by both parties.  For more information and examples of our work in calculating losses in personal injury cases, click here or contact Vitek Frenkel.