On 20 November Helen Vernon, our Chief Executive, appeared before the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) alongside Samantha Jones, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care, Elizabeth O'Mahony, Interim Director General, Finance, NHS England (NHSE), and Professor Aidan Fowler, National Director of Patient Safety at NHSE. The four witnesses gave evidence on the costs of clinical negligence and the measures being taken across the NHS to improve patient safety and manage expenditure.

The Public Accounts Committee examines how public money is spent and whether taxpayers are getting value for money. The Committee, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, based its inquiry on the National Audit Office report examining the £58.2 billion set aside for clinical negligence claims in the 2023-24 accounts.

Key topics discussed included: sustainability of rising costs; disproportionate legal costs at lower values; England's clinical negligence costs per capita and system compared to other jurisdictions; rise in CNSGP claims numbers and estimates around the maturing of the scheme; double recovery; costs of maternity claims, transparency of conditional fee agreements between claimants and their solicitors; data; candour, and whether the NHS has an overly defensive culture; alternative dispute resolution; and patient safety responsibilities across the system.

The PAC will publish a report on clinical negligence soon, with recommendations for government. The government will then respond in due course. NHS Resolution will continue to work closely with DHSC and NHS England to implement further cost savings, enhance patient safety initiatives and improve claim resolution times.

On 1 October we published the Annual Report Statistics 2024-25, the Supplementary Annual Statistics 2024-25 and the member and health authority statistics 2024-25. These resources provide data transparency and insights, and provide more detailed information about our claims than is available in the Annual Report and Accounts. 

The statistics can be accessed on our website here.

The sudden and unexpected passing of Tim Draycott, Senior Clinical Advisor for Maternity at NHS Resolution, on November 24, 2025, is a tremendous loss. Tim was a widely respected figure in patient safety and maternity care, and also a cherished colleague and friend to many within NHS Resolution and across the wider NHS family.

You can read more about Tim’s work with NHSR and professional life on our website here.