Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that victims of medical negligence are able to seek redress for (a) damage, (b) suffering and (c) diminished earnings that have been found to result from receiving inadequate care from less experienced doctors.

A cross-system National Patient Safety Programme Board was established in February 2021 to provide new coordination and monitoring of improvements in patient safety and response to harm across the National Health Service. All registered healthcare professionals must keep within their scope of practice at all times to ensure they are practising safely, lawfully and effectively.

A person who believes they have been injured as a result of negligent medical treatment can take legal action to claim appropriate compensation. Where a claim is upheld, compensation is determined with the aim of restoring the person, as far as possible, into the same position they were in had the negligent injury not occurred. This could include compensation for loss of earnings and for pain, suffering and loss of amenity.