We reported in edition 155 of BC Disease News (here) that the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA), has set up its own in-house litigation team in an attempt to reduce its £120.1m external legal costs. This week, we report that, following a successful pilot, the NHSLA has begun the process of obtaining a mediation panel, with a closing date of 16 November 2016. It is said that the aim is to bring patients and the NHS together to resolve disputes without the need for expensive litigation.
All NHS trusts in England are members of the NHSLA’s indemnity schemes, which it says, ‘puts it in the unique position of being able to procure the highest quality mediation services for the NHS at the lowest possible cost’.
The £160,000, two-year contract will see the appointment of two, or possibly three, providers to mediate injury claims, and one for costs claims, starting from 5 December 2016.
Helen Vernon, Chief Executive of the NHSLA says: ‘Mediation is an excellent forum for dispute resolution in the NHS, providing injured patients and their families with an opportunity for face-to-face explanations and apologies when things go wrong and reducing the need for unnecessary litigation. We fully embrace mediation and believe that there is an appetite in the legal community to do more in this area. We have used mediation to good effect throughout our 20 year history, including in high profile cases and group actions. We are delighted to be building our capacity to offer mediation services following this procurement exercise and look forward to launching the new service in December’.
The NHSLA’s full statement regarding this can be accessed here.