There is now incontrovertible evidence that medical mistakes and mishaps occur in significant numbers every year. What are the causes of the upsurge in claims over the past twenty years? How can patients be assured that their treatment will be safe? How can doctors practise medicine in the best interests of patients without the fear of complaints and litigation? This book examines the uncertainty and some of the myths surrounding errors and claims in healthcare, and aims to place the arguments surrounding the so-called compensation culture on a stronger statistical, and hence epistemological basis. It argues that far from living in a compensation culture, we are almost certainly experiencing a culture of under-compensation. It is possible to see, by means of the time-line and illustrative graphs in this book, that there are certain trends which are likely to continue. Yet never in the course of history has medical practice in the UK been subject to such stringent regulation and so much political interference. Never have healthcare professionals been subject to such an unrelenting barrage of external investigation and demands. Many of these pressures are identified in the course of the journey taken in the book from the founding of the NHS to opening years of the twenty first century, and the role of legal and other mechanisms is examined in the search for solutions to the growing litigation crisis faced by healthcare professionals and the patients they treat. Among the topics covered are: The quest for truth in the maze of contradictory data about error and litigation in healthcare Trends in the level of errors and claims for clinical negligence The underlying causes of the rise in claims as the twentieth century drew to a close The role of the media The changing relationships between doctors and patients over the course of the past fifty or more years The complex relationship between defensive medicine, clinical governance and risk management The role of Government, managers, the courts, the regulators and advertisers.

The impact of political change, constant restructuring, devolution, fragmentation and the increasing pressures on healthcare professionals This book is an essential resource for healthcare professionals and those interested in medical law.