Patients and staff from across the north and north-east have received almost £20million in compensation after bungled operations and hospital mishaps.
Over the last six years NHS Grampian has been sued for a total of £11,808,398 while NHS Highlands has paid out £8,526,555.
As well as disgruntled employees looking for cash after claiming they were unfairly dismissed, ill-treated or injured, patients have received pay-outs for a list of clinical errors made at the north-east’s major hospitals.
Figures obtained by the Press and Journal show that those visiting Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Dr Gray’s in Elgin have received compensation after being misdiagnosed or receiving the wrong medication for their condition.
Patients have also sued the health board after foreign objects were found inside them following an operation, or if there have been delays in operating.
Between 2010 and 2015, NHS Grampian received 220 patient claims and 97 staff claims. The majority of these claims were settled outside of court.
In 2014, the health board paid out £4,859,755 – the most in the six year period. This figure was almost halved last year..
Figures for NHS Highland shows the number of cases settled has escalated last year with a total of 21 cases causing them to pay out £1,461,395 last year.
However in 2010, only 10 claims were settled to a cost of £5,909,377.
A spokesman for the health board said that because the numbers of claimants were so small they could not give out information detailing what the action taken was for.
Last night Lewis MacDonald, Labour’s Aberdeen Central candidate, said he felt the figures showed there was “very little cause for concern”.
He said: “People are more likely to go to their lawyers than they once were now so it is not a surprise that claims are going up.
“The key issue is whether people are getting the standard of care they expect and are entitled to.
“Most people do get a high quality of care and while every case is to be regretted I am sure these figures show there is very little cause for concern.”
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “These claims represent a very small proportion of the number of patient contacts we have and is no reflection on NHS Grampian’s standards.
“We look into each claim very carefully, listen to concerns and, if appropriate, compensate a claimant. This also applies to any member of staff; whether they have been injured at work or have an issue with their treatment by us.”
