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<p>NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National
Health Service in England, and shares learning from claims to help improve safety
for patients and staff. NHS Resolution has a responsibility to settle justified claims
fairly and promptly and defend unjustified claims to secure NHS resources. Each case
must be considered on its own merits and it is important that a proper investigation
is undertaken. NHS Resolution aims to get to the right answer as quickly as possible
in every case and to help resolve claims sooner, and without the need for court proceedings.
To support this NHS Resolution launched a new mediation service in December 2016.</p><p>NHS
Resolution is an arm’s length body of the Department and is accountable to the Department
and its performance is subject to regular review through the Department’s sponsorship
arrangements. The Department’s assessment is that NHS Resolution is a well-run and
efficient organisation and that it has had some success, within the current legal
framework, in containing the cost of NHS litigation, a view that was supported by
the National Audit Office, in its report ‘Managing the costs of clinical negligence
in trusts’ published in September 2017 which can be viewed at the following link:</p><p><a
href="https://www.nao.org.uk/report/managing-the-costs-of-clinical-negligence-in-trusts/"
target="_blank">https://www.nao.org.uk/report/managing-the-costs-of-clinical-negligence-in-trusts/</a></p><p>NHS
Resolution regularly agrees large-scale contracts for legal services, using its position
as a bulk purchaser to obtain the best expertise at value for money for the health
service. The contracts include a combination of fixed and capped fees as well as competitive
hourly rates for its panel firms, which are also required to support NHS Resolution’s
work to learn from claims to improve safety.</p>
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