17th October 2025
Today’s National Audit Office (NAO) report on clinical negligence provides a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of a system under enormous strain. Whilst we welcome this thorough examination, the financial data can only tell half the story.
Behind every statistic is a patient or family whose life has been shattered by avoidable harm. The human cost is immeasurable, and these figures don’t even capture the many people who cannot or will not navigate the legal system to seek redress — people we support every day through our services.
The NAO acknowledges the complexity involved in trying to find solutions to this growing problem. At the heart of any solution, providing safer care is vital. We welcome all steps to address this, such as Baroness Amos’s Rapid National Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. Maternity care is where many of the most serious and costly incidents occur, and we hope this investigation will identify and root out the persistent failings that continue to devastate families.
All harmed people deserve support, compassion, and answers. As this report highlights, many individuals turn to litigation only as a last resort because their attempts to understand what has happened by way of other processes are frustrating and unsuccessful. One of these, the NHS complaints process, requires urgent reform to make it straightforward and useful for patients.
A better way forward
Too often, we hear that these processes are cold and insensitive, compounding the harm patients feel and experience. That’s why Avma, together with the Harmed Patients Alliance, is working on developing a Harmed Patient Pathway to support the emotional and practical needs of patients, families and staff after harm occurs. It is through solutions such as these that we can begin to alleviate the suffering that clinical negligence causes and address the issues around the cost to the public purse.