London NHS trusts payout £689m in compensation for child medical negligence

NHS trusts across London have paid out more than £689 million in compensation for children’s medical negligence claims in the last five years, a new investigation has revealed. Information collected from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests found 21 trusts across the capital had a combined total of 905 claims and incidents of children’s medical negligence reported to NHS Resolution, the legal arm of the NHS, between 2019 and 2024.

Royal Free London NHS Trust alone paid out £70,156,913 settling 34 claims – more than any other London trust. The trust covers a large area of North London with four hospitals including Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield and Barnet Hospital. Whittington Health NHS Trust paid the least, forking out £601,000. Across the country, falls/delays in treatment was the most common primary cause for a claim. Fatality was listed as the most common primary injury, with 841 claims of incidents, followed by brain damage with 815 cases. The data, collected by Medical Negligence Assist, also found two West London trusts paid out more than £70m in claims over the past five years.

It found Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which is made up of five hospitals in West London, paid £38.1m to claimants between 2019 and 2024. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust, which manages two hospitals, stumped up £32.5m during the same period. The legal firm also found Chelsea and Westminster had the highest number of children’s medical negligence incidents reported to the NHS’ legal body, standing at 77. Imperial received 51. Each of those two trusts settled 21 of their respective claims with damages.

Death, brain damage, cerebral palsy and bowel damage are just some of the conditions and injuries children have sustained as a result of medical negligence, according to the stats. In its FOI response, NHS Resolution said any claims that have been notified or received in any given year will often relate to incidents that occurred many years prior. They said the nature of these claims and level of investigation they involve means it can take years to settle and close them. They also warned there may be duplicates in their data due to the way it was collected. The claims relate to children 17 years old or younger.

NHS Resolution, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Royal Free London NHS Trust have all been contacted for comment. Medical Negligence Assist solicitor, Sophie Cope, said: “These allegations are tragic. No child in the trusted care of a surgeon should be subjected to harm or medical neglect. The consequence of clinical negligence can be life-changing for those affected but equally devastating for the families. As well as the obvious emotional impact, injuries can cause a bigger financial impact than many can bear.”.