MEDICAL blunders in Worcestershire have cost the NHS more than £46 million in the past five years.

Data provided by the BBC Shared Data Unit shows that Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has paid out more than £28.5 million in damages alone since 2012.

Defence fees cost the trust £4.4 million whilst nearly £12 million was paid out in claimant costs.

It puts the trust in the top 50 trusts for money paid out.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Any incident as a result of an error or poor care is sincerely regrettable.

“An incident of this type goes against our aim to provide the best and safest care possible for our patients, which we successfully do in the vast majority of cases.

“It is important to note that as well as new settlements, any total figure also relates to on-going liability pay outs for historic claims, as well as additional payments into a national Risk Pooling Scheme to provide cover for pay outs for Trusts from across the NHS.”

The total amount of money paid out increased significantly in 2015/16, when the trust paid out £13.6 million in damages and costs.

The trust went on to pay nearly £10.5 million in 2016/17.

The money paid out also includes £829,343 to pre-1995 maternity related cases.

The Department of Health is responsible for paying out on negligence cases before April 1995 through The Existing Liabilities Scheme.

Incidents after April 1995 are covered by the The Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts and is funded by NHS Resolution who charge trusts a premium based on their expected payouts.

The escalating cost of negligence is down to a number of factors.

Significantly, mistakes made during or shortly after childbirth can leave the infant with brain damage and lifelong dependency on care for the which the NHS trust becomes liable.

Historically, cerebral palsy claims were often paid as a lump sum but families are now more likely to receive annual payments throughout the child’s life.

NHS Resolution has put forward several measures to cut medical negligence costs including capping fees for low value cases.

Critics say the NHS does not readily admit liability and then faces much larger legal fees when it loses.