Lanarkshire MSP's "deeply alarmed" over NHS health boards legal costs

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Central Scotland Tory MSP’s says findings revealing the amount NHS health boards have shelled out on legal costs in recent years are “deeply alarming”.

A series of Freedom of Information requests by the Scottish Conservatives indicated that health boards across Scotland have spent over £60 million in legal costs since 2018, due to dissatisfied patients taking them to court.NHS Lanarkshire failed to disclose the amount spent on legal costs for the 243 claims made against them.

The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The health board has been approached for comment.Tory MSP Graham Simpson said: “My thoughts are with those patients in NHS Lanarkshire who have been badly let down.“Dedicated staff in NHS Lanarkshire are overstretched, and tragically – but inevitably – this is leading to more mistakes being made.“While anyone who has been on the receiving end of sub-standard care is perfectly justified in lodging a claim, doing so adds to the pressures on NHS Lanarkshire’s budget.“They can ill-afford costly legal battles when, ideally, every last penny ought to be spent on supporting frontline services in NHS Lanarkshire.”Fellow Central Scotland Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher said the blame “ultimately lies with successive Scottish health secretaries who have presided over dire workforce planning which