AQW 30473/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the amount paid to patients in out-of-court settlements in each year since 2010, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.
Asked by Kellie Armstrong MLA on 5 September 2025
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 5 September 2025
- Answer due by
- 22 September 2025
- Answered
- 23 September 202518 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The amount paid to patients, or their representatives, in out-of-court settlements are set out in Table 1 below. The figures include damages for Medical/Professional Negligence cases which have been paid from 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2025.
Table 1: Amount Paid in Out-of-Court Settlements
| Financial Year | BHSCT | NHSCT | WHSCT | SHSCT | SEHSCT | NIAS |
| £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | £'000 | |
| 2010/11 | 7,744 | 86 | 560 | 240 | Note 1 | Note 2 |
| 2011/12 | 2,173 | 2,058 | 1,187 | 2,787 | Note 1 | Note 2 |
| 2012/13 | 5,120 | 1,915 | 902 | 547 | Note 1 | Note 2 |
| 2013/14 | 9,222 | 1,472 | 7,238 | 1,022 | Note 1 | 10 |
| 2014/15 | 4,332 | 1,580 | 1,237 | 2,322 | Note 1 | 1 |
| 2015/16 | 5,553 | 718 | 1,962 | 854 | Note 1 | 0 |
| 2016/17 | 3,719 | 1,828 | 770 | 1,154 | Note 1 | 0 |
| 2017/18 | 3,867 | 2,388 | 2,253 | 2,418 | Note 1 | 11 |
| 2018/19 | 8,888 | 729 | 1,171 | 1,047 | Note 1 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | 4,632 | 492 | 1,638 | 1,724 | 55 | 161 |
| 2020/21 | 3,776 | 984 | 1,087 | 651 | 1,174 | 9 |
| 2021/22 | 4,377 | 671 | 1,634 | 1,603 | 3,220 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | 2,640 | 3,945 | 3,665 | 734 | 692 | 9 |
| 2023/24 | 4,646 | 3,989 | 2,282 | 10,199 | 1,037 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | 10,568 | 6,652 | 1,301 | 4,233 | 7,045 | 218 |
| Total | 81,257 | 29,507 | 28,887 | 31,535 | 13,223 | 422 |
NOTES:
Note 1 - Due to the implementation of a new Claims Management System in SEHSCT, information can only be provided from 01 April 2019.
Note 2 – NIAS have noted that data for 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 is not available