Dear Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust,

Please can you provide the following information in regard to Clinical Negligence Claims and Medico-legal costs in your organisation:

1. How much did your Trust spend on its Legal Department per annum in the following years:

2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

2. How many whole time equivalent members of staff did you have in your Legal Department (please organise by pay grade) in the following years:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

3. What was the total number of allegations or attempted clinical negligence claims against your Trust per annum for the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

4. What was the total number of cases and enquiries handled by your Trust’s legal department per annum in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

5. What was the total number of successful clinical negligence claims against your Trust in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

6. What was the median and mean time (in days) from complaint to closure of each case/enquiry handled by your Trust’s legal department in 2015 and 2016. Please only supply data for cases which did not result in a successful claim.

7. What was the median and mean time (in days) from complaint to closure of each successful claim against your Trust’s legal department in 2015 and 2016.

8. What was the total sum paid out in successful and settled clinical negligence claims in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

9. What was the total sum paid out for legal costs (not damages) for completed clinical negligence claims in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

10. What was the total sum paid out in completed clinical negligence claims in the Neurosurgery Department in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

11. What was the total sum paid out in completed clinical negligence claims in the Spinal Surgery Department (if separate from Neurosurgery) in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

12. What was the total sum paid out in completed clinical negligence claims in the Cardiology Department in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

13. What was the total sum paid out in completed clinical negligence claims in the Oncology Department in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

14. What was the total sum paid out in completed clinical negligence claims in the Trauma & Orthopaedic Department in the following years:

Incident Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

15. What proportion of completed clinical negligence claims in the Spinal Surgery and Neurosurgery departments were attributed to the following in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017:
a)Delay in diagnosis
b)Delay in treatment
c)Poor communication or documentation
d)Poor clinical decision making

16. Does your Trust use a digital or online referral system in any of its acute medical of surgical specialties and when was it implemented?

17. Who is the Vendor of this referral system?

Yours faithfully,

James Guyton Lee