MDDUS has urged the government to increase its proposed fixed recoverable costs (FRC) limit following the conclusion of a Department of Health consultation.
The consultation proposed a mandatory system of fixed recoverable costs for lower value clinical negligence claims in England and Wales applying to claims over £1,000 and up to £25,000, but MDDUS believes the limit is too low.
MDDUS CEO Chris Kenny said: “MDDUS has long believed that there should be a fair system for resolving clinical negligence claims. We welcome the government consulting on this issue and now hope for a rapid transition period as well as a swift and decisive introduction of reforms that ensure timely, proper and just compensation for those wrongly damaged.
"While we can understand the introduction of a limited scheme to ensure that the regime is robust and workable, we are disappointed the caps proposed only include claims of up to £25,000. We urge the government for a firm and swift commitment to increasing the upper limit to £250,000.
"We believe this is imperative in light of the current challenges facing the health service, not least the significant increase in the cost of claims that has already arisen from the recent change in the discount rate."
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