The news came with the publication of the arm's length DHSC body's annual report.

Helen Vernon, chief executive of NHS Resolution, said: ‘By working collaboratively to resolve claims for compensation against the NHS we are keeping patients, their families and healthcare staff out of court whilst sharing what we learn back with the NHS to prevent the same things happening again.

‘This means that over 11,000 people saw their claims resolved with mediation, negotiation and other non-adversarial processes without the need for court involvement.'

NHS Resolution received 14,428 new clinical negligence claims and reported incidents in 2024/25. A total of £3.1bn was paid out in 2024/25 for compensation and associated costs, compared to £2.8bn in 2023/24. Of this total, £1.3bn of negligence payments related to maternity.

The estimated ‘annual cost of harm' for incidents in 2024/25 for the main clinical scheme, Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, was £4.6bn, down from £4.8bn in 2023/24. The reduction reflected updates to discount rates and improvements in long-term inflation assumptions.

Demand for NHS Resolution's expert Practitioner Performance Advice service continued to grow significantly, with 1,420 new and reopened requests for advice – a 24% increase on 2023/24. Requests for NHS Resolution's Primary Care Appeals service rose by 31%.

NHS Resolution's provision for future liabilities as of 31 March 2025 was £60.3bn, compared to £58.5bn in 2023/24. The increase reflected another year of activity and natural growth, partially offset by changes to the Personal Injury Discount Rate (from -0.25% to +0.50%) and updates to HM Treasury discount rates.