The Welsh Labour-led Government’s Health Minister must urgently apologise to patients and their families who were not given adequate health care, the Shadow Health Minister has demanded.
A total of £265,503,877 of taxpayers’ money was paid out in clinical negligence claims in just four years, Freedom of Information requests (FoIs) by the Welsh Conservatives has revealed.
But with both Hywel Dda and Cardiff and Vale University Health Boards unable to provide payments made in 2019-2020, the overall clinical negligence claims are likely to exceed the current £265.5 million figure.
Commenting on the FOI findings, the Shadow Minister for Health, Social Care and Sport, Andrew RT Davies MS, said:
“A total of 3,081 people made a claim – and behind each figure is a person who was not provided with the level of care and support they were entitled to.
“Importantly, my thoughts go out to all those who have been let down. Where a patient has been let down, rightly answers are sought.
“Our fantastic Welsh NHS staff are under immense pressure in delivering care to thousands of patients up and down Wales, but they also need to be given more confidence to perform their vital duties – not left out to dry when an accident occurs.
“On the whole our NHS in Wales delivers a first-class treatment to the people of Wales, but where bad practice occurs it must be rooted out.
“What our Welsh NHS and the people of Wales now deserve is an immediate apology from the Health Minister for letting us down, as these shocking clinical negligence figures show.
“I urge him to get a grip of this situation – but if his past record is anything to go by I’m not holding my breath.”
ENDS