Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Brazil; and what measures they are taking to develop an Ebola vaccine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Further to my statement to the House on 21 May (HLWS64), I visited Kinshasa on 29 May to see first-hand how agencies on the ground are responding to the Ebola outbreak, with the support of the UK and other international partners, and to discuss that response with the Director General of the World Health Organization. We will provide further updates to Parliament in due course, as this fast-moving and deeply concerning situation continues to unfold.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which health conditions they will target in the National Quality Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new National Quality Strategy is focused on driving improvements in healthcare and health outcomes. It will provide a framework designed to be relevant across the whole healthcare system. It does not set out specific standards or requirements for particular services, sectors, patient cohorts, or conditions.
However, the Strategy will set out the supporting context and evidence across all domains of quality, which includes respiratory disease as a major contributor to premature mortality. The Strategy is currently being finalised, and we anticipate publication in the coming months.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the National Quality Strategy for health and social care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new National Quality Strategy is focused on driving improvements in healthcare and health outcomes. It will provide a framework designed to be relevant across the whole healthcare system. It does not set out specific standards or requirements for particular services, sectors, patient cohorts, or conditions.
However, the Strategy will set out the supporting context and evidence across all domains of quality, which includes respiratory disease as a major contributor to premature mortality. The Strategy is currently being finalised, and we anticipate publication in the coming months.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include respiratory health in the National Quality Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new National Quality Strategy is focused on driving improvements in healthcare and health outcomes. It will provide a framework designed to be relevant across the whole healthcare system. It does not set out specific standards or requirements for particular services, sectors, patient cohorts, or conditions.
However, the Strategy will set out the supporting context and evidence across all domains of quality, which includes respiratory disease as a major contributor to premature mortality. The Strategy is currently being finalised, and we anticipate publication in the coming months.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of clinical negligence claims to the NHS in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. The following table shows the total payments made for clinical claims between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, broken down by the financial year of the payment, and including damages, NHS legal costs, and claimant legal costs paid in each financial year, with payments relating to both claims that were open and claims that were closed at the end of each financial year:
Payment year | Damages paid (£) | NHS legal costs claimant legal costs (£) Paid Paid | Total paid (£) | |
2020/21 | 1,588,102,133 | 149,749,000 | 432,938,719 | 2,170,789,852 |
2021/22 | 1,777,234,356 | 157,107,445 | 470,094,066 | 2,404,435,867 |
2022/23 | 1,985,073,662 | 160,435,228 | 489,671,081 | 2,635,179,970 |
2023/24 | 2,109,097,365 | 170,246,668 | 544,775,008 | 2,824,119,042 |
2024/25 | 2,279,114,229 | 178,503,154 | 621,078,773 | 3,078,696,155 |
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the NHS in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.