The drop in payments for cases of medical negligence leads to the reduction of compensation paid by the State – The Irish Times

A significant fall in the general sum paid in cases of medical negligence has contributed to a reduction of almost 90 million euros in compensation paid by the State Claims Agency (SCA).

The new data contours that damage payments related to clinical attention cases fell by more than 65.4 million euros to € 210,465,483 in 2024.

In terms of general damage payments in all categories, the total reached € 286.9 million in 2024, less than € 89.9 million € 376.8 million paid in 2023.

The latest figures were provided to Social democrat TD Aidan Farrelly, who said it is “important to have a clear vision of these annual expenses.”

Kildare North TD said that the oireachtas committees expect the useful information “in the context of the deepest scrutiny.”

The second largest fall in the summarized sums occurred in cases against the State related to exposure to harmful chemicals.

Payments for damage in these cases reached € 44,175,897 in 2023.

The sum paid in the same category in 2024 was € 5,014,381, a fall of € 39,161,516.

The categories of damage payments that saw increases last year compared to 2023 include exposure to physical risks, such as trips and falls, where payments increased 4.6 million euros to € 21 million.

Payments related to cases of exposure to behavioral risks, which may include violence, harassment or abuse, increased 3.9 million euros to 15.2 million euros.

The category of exposure to psychological risks saw an increase of € 3.6 million to € 28.3 million. These cases may include those related to death or unfair injuries or unjust accusations.

Payments in the shock/collision category increased more than € 2.2 million to € 5.5 million. These payments can be related to collisions that involve at least one state vehicle, such as Garda cars or HSE vehicles

When asked about the reasons for the decrease or increase in several categories, a SCA statement said: “The damage mode may vary, especially in cases of medical negligence, where payments can be made in a global payment base or on a provisional payment base for a specific number of years.

“This means that payments made in an individual year cannot be used to predict the final cost of a claim or claims group.”

He also said that the figures provided to Mr. Farrelly are the amounts paid in the specified period, so the payment can be related to a case that concluded in the year in which the payment was made or in previous years.

The SCA also said that there are “several factors” that affect the movement in the compensation amounts related to the claims categories, including the liquidation schemes with respect to mass actions and significant payments once outside.

“SCA does not comment on individual cases and cannot provide more details regarding these movements.”

Danger of State Surveillance Comptroller and general auditor (C&G) last year reported that the SCA paid agreements, awards and expenses for a total of 574 million euros in 2023.

The C&G also described how the estimated cost of solving pending claims “has increased at a stable rate” for a number or years and “the SCA has estimated pending responsibility at the end of 2023 by 5,185 billion euros.”

The SCA said that the general estimate of liabilities at the end of last year will be available once its annual report of 2024 is published.