Call to cap NHS damages pay

Published on 13/09/2009 22:09

LABOUR has called for a cap on compensation payouts from the NHS over medical blunders.

New figures show this reached 26 million in Scotland last year – double that of the previous 12 months and five times the figure from a decade ago.

Labour health spokeswoman Cathy Jamieson is calling for a shake-up of the system.

"NHS patients have the right to make complaints and receive compensation when things go wrong," she said. "But these figures provide yet more evidence that the current system is cumbersome and expensive."