Alliance Health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA has expressed extreme frustration at failure to learn from clinical and social care negligence cases, as figures show money paid out on them continues to rise.

The South Belfast MLA stated: “The most striking aspect of these figures is that the broad upwards trend in cases and pay-outs, however slight, continues across the Trusts taken collectively.

“The fact that no Trust demonstrates an evident marked downwards trend suggests that there is still an obvious lack of improvement, which raises questions over how such cases are addressed and why learning from them appears to be so limited.

“All sections of the health and social care sector are crying out for funding and it is essential that we act swiftly to prevent so many cases of negligence in the interests not just of patients directly impacted by them, but also of patients using other parts of the system where funding is so desperately required.”