BARNSLEY Hospital forked out more than £400,000 in damages for gynaecology medical negligence claims over the last five years, new figures have revealed.
An investigation by Medical Negligence Assist has revealed that the Gawber Road site has had a total of 31 claims and incidents of gynaecology-related medical negligence reported to NHS Resolution, the legal arm of the NHS, since 2019.
It adds that Barnsley Hospital bosses have settled a total of 16 of such claims lodged against it, with damages amounting to £410,027.
This does not include NHS or claimant legal costs that have been paid for.
Gynaecology is the branch of physiology and medicine which deals with the functions and diseases specific to women and girls, especially those affecting the reproductive system.
The findings come amid a damning new report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) which revealed that women are being left in ‘debilitating’ pain for years with more than 760,0000 on the waiting list for appointments due to a gynaecology care ‘crisis.’
Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG said: “A way forward is urgently needed to tackle the UK gynaecology crisis.
“NHS staff are also deeply concerned and distressed that they do not have the necessary resources to deliver good care, affecting their own wellbeing.
“The UK government must act now.
“The RCOG is calling on them to commit to long-term sustained funding to address the systemic issues driving waiting lists, alongside delivering an urgent support package for those currently on waiting lists.
“The investment will not only benefit thousands of individual women but the wider economy too, because the evidence shows that healthy women are the cornerstone of healthy societies.
“Get it right for women and everyone benefits.”
The findings also revealed the most common cause of claims was ‘failure to warn - informed consent’ regarding gynaecology treatment of which there were 1,324 claims and incidents nationally across NHS trusts in the last five years.
These are usually instances where a patient is not made fully aware of the details and/or risks of a procedure or treatment and/or has not knowingly consented.
Since 2019, some 292 such claims have been settled with damages payouts amounting to £17.3m.
Claims lodged against the NHS for failure and delays in gynaecology-related diagnosis, however, have cost the health service an ‘eye-watering’ £32.6m since 2019.
In the last five years, there have been 384 claims and incidents pertaining to failure and delayed diagnosis in gynaecology.
During that time, the NHS has settled 272 such claims with damages amounting to £32.5m.
A spokesperson for Barnsley Hospital told the Chronicle: “ The Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is not unique as an NHS trust in receiving claims related to gynaecology.
“We cannot comment on individual claims, but we note that a number of the claims are historic.
“We will always strive to learn lessons to improve the care we provide for our patients. ”
https://www.medicalnegligenceassist.co.uk/medical-negligence-claims/gynaecology-negligence-claims
