Raigmore Hospital locator April 2023 Picture: James Mackenzie<\/p>\n
NHS Highland and NHS Grampian have paid out a combined \u00a334 million to patients in compensation in the last five years over botched procedures, diagnostic mistakes and other errors.<\/p>\n
The figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives sparked allegations the Scottish Government has left \u201cfrontline NHS staff dangerously overstretched and more prone to making mistakes\u201d.<\/p>\n
NHS Highland<\/strong><\/p>\n NHS Highland paid out almost \u00a310 million in compensation to patients across a huge range of health services in the region.<\/p>\n The total sum paid out by the health board since 2019-20 is \u00a39,881,600 and most of that came in 2021-22 when six claims were awarded \u00a35.9 million in compensation.<\/p>\n The other years the total compensation paid ranged from \u00a3650,000 in 2020-21 to more than \u00a31.3 million in 2023-24.<\/p>\n What is just as big a concern is not the amounts paid out but what they were paid out for as they cover some of the most highly sensitive areas of medical care.<\/p>\n The full list can be seen below:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Over and over the phrase \u201cdiagnosis, failed or delayed\u201d is used and stands for a mis-diagnosis or a delayed diagnosis both have serious consequences for patients.<\/p>\n They include payments for incidents in midwifery in labour or delivery and general surgery incidents where treatments, procedures, diagnoses \u201cfailed or delayed\u201d.<\/p>\n In the medical and diagnostic division \u201cdiagnosis, failed or delayed\u201d and in obstetrics and gynaecology where an \u201caccident\u201d may \u201cresult in personal injury.<\/p>\n In cancer services concerning radiotherapy consent, confidentiality or communication was a problem while a radiology diagnosis was \u201cfailed or delayed\u201d.<\/p>\n Child and Adolescent Mental Health similarly saw \u201cdiagnosis, failed or delayed\u201d while the surgical high dependency unit also saw \u201cdiagnosis, failed or delayed\u201d.<\/p>\n NHS Grampian<\/strong><\/p>\n NHS Grampian issued the huge sum of \u00a323707360.11 to patient for dozens of treatments that went wrong.<\/p>\n While NHS Highland highlighted the care stage and the problems that arose, NHS Grampian detailed more precise numbers regarding how many claims were made by service or speciality.<\/p>\n These numbers can be seen in the document below:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n But like NHS Highland there is a broad range of services that have experienced legal challenges to the outcomes clinicians and others sought to deliver ranging from A&E to urology.<\/p>\n The two worst years were from 2020 to 2022 when the health board paid out just over \u00a36 million each financial year – there was then a dip to \u00a31.1 million before that number more than quadrupled last year to \u00a35.8 million.<\/p>\n The Tories blamed the Scottish Government for \u201cthe tragic yet predictable consequence\u201d of medical staff being under-resourced due \u201cdire workforce planning\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018Incompetence\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Conservative shadow health secretary Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: \u201cThese eye-watering compensation payouts are the tragic yet predictable consequence of SNP mismanagement.<\/p>\n \u201cDire workforce planning by successive nationalist health secretaries has left frontline NHS staff dangerously overstretched and more prone to making mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cThese errors often have catastrophic consequences for the patients involved, while the payouts they necessitate further reduce the resources available to already cash-strapped health boards.<\/p>\n \u201cThe SNP\u2019s incompetence is creating a vicious circle in our NHS, and yet they don\u2019t have a credible plan to tackle this crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cRather than continuing to defend his distracted and incompetent health secretary, John Swinney should adopt our common-sense plans to cut NHS bureaucracy, so that more money reaches the frontline and less has to go on compensation due to medical negligence.\u201d<\/p>\nDr Gray’s Hospital, Elgin.<\/p>\n