"Our NHS needs all the investment it can get, so today the Chancellor missed a key opportunity to tackle out-of-control spending on clinical negligence legal fees, which diverted the eye-watering equivalent of £800 million from patient care last year.
"Patients must be properly compensated if clinical negligence is proven, but our current system has led to legal fees ballooning to nearly four times the damages awarded for low value claims.
"We are disappointed that the Chancellor has missed an open goal to address this issue and we urge the Government to implement a fixed recoverable costs system without further delay.
"This could save at least £50 million a year for the NHS - funds that should be spent supporting doctors, nurses and other frontline staff.
"The Government must also take immediate action to end the outdated legislation which requires courts to calculate compensation based on private healthcare costs. If claimants choose to receive restorative treatment via the NHS, our health service is effectively left paying twice.
"We call on the Government to provide clarity on this issue now the Lock Review is completed. This review must be made public, to offer MPs and the public a clear understanding about the path forward."
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