Blog
Landmark High Court ruling confirms availability of civil remedies for criminally sanctioned Companies Act breaches
Richard Clayman
17 June 2015
A further misguided attack on claimant costs in clinical negligence litigation
On 15 June 2015 The Law Society Gazette reported that the Department of Health has vowed to reduce the £259m annual bill for claimant costs incurred in connection with clinical negligence litigation. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health is reported to have said “Legal costs in clinical negligence claims are too high and take away vital funds which should be used for patient care … We are currently looking at ways to reduce these legal costs”. According to NHS Litigation Authority figures for 2013/14, claimant legal costs amounted to 22% of the £1.2bn expenditure on clinical negligence claims whereas defence costs amounted to 8% of spending.
15 June 2015
The doctor will see you now – will better access to GPs improve patient care?
Isn’t it hard to get an appointment with your GP these days? The anecdotal consensus is that it’s harder than it used to be. A two or three week wait is not unheard of.
David Cameron has recently announced that he wants GPs to open for up to 12 hours every day by 2020 with the ostensible aim of relieving pressure on hospitals and giving working people access to a doctor at weekends. To show he is serious, the Prime Minister has offered to provide additional funding (£400 million over the next five years) to ensure that as many surgeries as possible open from 8am to 8pm.
3 June 2015
Melanoma - diagnosis and treatment
This week brings the start of meteorological summer and the twin temptations of sunny skies and warmer temperatures invite us to indulge in lazy days on the beach, picnics in the park and barbeques in our gardens. However, the advent of better weather brings with it increasing UV exposure, which is the main preventable cause of skin cancer.
3 June 2015
Another death because of systemic failings in hospitals
The article in the Evening Standard yesterday about the tragic death of Guy Bessant raises familiar themes for clinical negligence lawyers.
3 June 2015
Consulting Dr Google - A Friend or Foe?
In this increasingly tech-savvy age, it has become common to “google” one’s symptoms. For many of us, consulting the virtual Dr Google has become the first port of call for medical information. A recent Australian study by the Queensland University of Technology titled ‘'Dr. Google' doesn't know best: Search engine self-diagnosis and 'cyberchondria', has shown that 5% of all monthly Google searches are now health related; this equates to approximately five billion monthly searches.
