CLINICAL negligence claims in Dorset cost the NHS £15m this year and are threatening to worsen patient care, the National Audit Office has warned.

Calls are now being made for a clampdown on the rising costs of compensation, which have quadrupled in the last 10 years across the country and are adding to the already crippling financial pressures faced by health trusts.

In Dorset, figures from the NHS litigation authority show that while the number of successful claims has remained similar or even decreased, the total cost of payouts through the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) has risen.

The bill for 2016/17 was £6.1m from Poole Hospital for 16 claims, £3.7m from Royal Bournemouth Hospital for 10 claims, and £5.2m from Dorset County Hospital for 29 claims.

However in 2006/7, Poole Hospital paid out £1.05m for 17 claims, RBH’s bill was £478,850 for 18 claims and DCH’s totalled £1.09m for 34 successful claims.

The totals cover damages paid out, defence costs and claimant costs.

Dorset Healthcare has also seen a sharp increase in clinical negligence claims. In 2007/8 the trust paid out a total of £85,532 through the CNST scheme. In 2016/17 this had more than doubled to £234,329. The total over the last five years is £879,929.

The NAO said there was no evidence more mistakes were being made or care was getting less safe. Instead, the NAO said the rising costs were related to higher damages awards, higher lawyer fees and more claims.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: “The cost of clinical negligence in trusts is significant and rising fast, placing increasing financial pressure on an already stretched system. NHS Resolution and the Department are proposing measures to tackle this, but the expected savings are small compared with the predicted rise in overall costs.

“At £60 billion, up from £51 billion last year, the provision for clinical negligence in trusts is one of the biggest liabilities in the government accounts, and one of the fastest growing. Fundamentally changing the biggest drivers of increasing cost will require significant activity in policy and legislation, areas beyond my scope.”

Poole Hospital, RBH and Dorset County Hospital said they are working to keep the cost of claims to a minimum.

A spokesman from DCH said: “NHS Resolutions (formerly the NHS Litigation Authority) are currently focussing on the faster resolution of claims. We are working with them closely to achieve this by recommending cases for early resolution as they arise. Resolving claims earlier will result in a reduction in legal costs.”