From the point of view of a medical defence organisation, the author discusses the British system for civil litigation in relation to health care, assessing the scale of the problem and the factors that bear on it. He outlines the place of the medical defence organisations and of health authorities within the present structure, with particular regard to claims handling and risk management.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abou-Hosn v Friends of the Italian Hospital and others [1987], unreported.
2.
BlackN.Medical litigation and the quality of care. Lancet1990, 335, 35–37.
3.
BrootenK. E., ChapmanS.Malpractice, a guide to avoidance and treatment.Grune & Stratton1987.
4.
CaneP.Atiyah's Accidents, compensation and the law.Weidenfeld & Nicholson1987.
5.
Department of Health.HC(89)34 : claims of medical negligence against NHS hospital and community doctors and dentists.DoH1989.
6.
DingwallR. (ed.) Socio-legal aspects of medical practice.Royal College of Physicians of London1989.
7.
DingwallR., FennP.Is risk management necessary?Int. J. Risk & Safety in Med.1991, 2, 91–106.
8.
DingwallR., FennP., QuamL.Medical negligence, a review and bibliography.Wolfson College, Oxford1991.
9.
EppsC. H.Medical liability 1986. J. Bone & Joint Surg.1986, 1116–24.
10.
FinchJ.Speller's Law relating to hospitals.Chapman & Hall Medical, 1994.
11.
GennH.Hard bargaining: out of court settlement in personal injury actions.Clarendon Press1987.
12.
HamC.Medical negligence: compensation and accountability.King's Fund Institute1988.
13.
HawkinsC.Mishap or malpractice?Blackwell1985.
14.
HayS.Are you negligent?Economist Publications Ltd.1987.
15.
HillG. G.What is risk management?Int. J. Risk & Safety in Med.1991, 2, 83–90.
16.
HoyteP. J.Problems due to lack of NHS resources. J. Management in Med1989, 3, 3, 258–264.
17.
JonesM. A., MorrisA. E.Defensive medicine: myths and facts. J. Med. Def. Union1989, 5, 40–43.
18.
KennedyI., GrubbA.Medical law : text and materials.Butterworths1989.
19.
McintoshD., HolmesM.Personal injury awards in E.C. countries.Lloyds of London Press1990.
20.
McQuadeJ. S.The medical malpractice crisis — reflections on the alleged causes and proposed cures. J. Roy. Soc. Med.1991, 84, 408–411.
21.
MannR. D., HavardJ.No-fault compensation in medicine.Royal Society of Medicine1989.
22.
ManuelB. M.Professional liability — a no-fault solution. N. Eng. J. Med.1990, 322, 627–31.
23.
Medical Defence Union Ltd. v Department of Trade [1979] 2 AER 421.
24.
Ministry of Health.HM(54)32: NHS Legal Proceedings.Ministry of Health1954.
NeilB.A.Medical review committees and privilege in the USA. Med. leg. J.1993, 61, 219–224.
27.
PearsonL. J.Report of the Royal Commission on civil liability and compensation for personal injury.H.M.S.O.1978.
28.
QuamL., FennP., DingwallR.Medical malpractice in perspective : the implications for Britain. Brit. Med. J.1987, 294, 1597–1600.
29.
RossH. L.Settled out of court. Aldine 1970.
30.
Royal College of Radiologists Working Party.Influence of the Royal College of Radiologists' guide-lines on hospital practice. Brit. Med. J.1992, 304, 740–743.
31.
SandersonI.M.The clinician and risk management. Health Service J.1994, 104, 5387, (supplement) 5–6.
32.
SimanowitzA.Standards, attitudes and accountability in the medical profession. Lancet1985, 546–7.
33.
SlapperG.Professional negligence and manslaughter. Prof. Negligence1993, 9, 4, 150–153.
34.
WallA.Ethics and the health services manager.King Edward's Hospital Fund for London1989.
35.
WhelanC. J.Litigation and complaints procedures: objectives, effectiveness and alternatives. J. Med. Eth.1988, 14, 70–6.
36.
WitneyS.Medical accident compensation, back to basics. Prof. Negligence1993, 9, 3, 129–130.
