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" The government has earmarked nearly \u00A38 billion to settle medical negligence claims over the next ten years.  The figure of \u00A37.8 billion is a &amp;quot;worst case&amp;quot; calculation and is based on current claims and the rising level of successful payouts over recent years. In 1997-98 the ten year provision stood at \u00A32.3 billion.  According to a Department of Health spokesperson the \u00A37.8 billion still only accounts for one per cent of NHS spending over ten years.  The rise in payouts can be partly attributed to an increase in the size of compensation claims in cases of pain and suffering. According to the Medical Defence Union the number of individual payouts above \u00A31 million rose to seven in 2004.  In an attempt to curb the rising cost of negligence claims the government will introduce the NHS Redress Bill later this year. The proposed legislation will attempt to cut NHS costs by reducing the number of cases reaching the courts. It is expected to outline a no-fault compensation environment for brain-damaged baby claims, which currently account for 60 per cent of overall negligence litigation costs.  Chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, commented: &amp;quot;In the past, cases have taken too long to settle. In smaller-value claims the legal costs have been disproportionate to the damages awarded. In larger-value claims there can be lengthy and expensive disputes about the component parts of any lump-sum payment and the anticipated life span of the victim.&amp;quot;  \u00A9 Adfero Ltd "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a12571/nhs-negligence-bills-set-to-rise/>