NHS Resolution, the operating name of NHS Litigation Authority, is an arm's length body of the

Department of Health and Social Care The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherw ...

. It changed its name in April 2017. The organisation's purpose is to provide expertise to the NHS on resolving concerns fairly, share learning for improvement and preserve resources for patient care.

Services

NHS Resolution's strategic plan ''Delivering fair resolution and learning from harm'', published in 2017 and updated in 2019, outlined a shift in emphasis away from predominantly claim management to proactive, earlier interventions to support families and staff. The services provided include: * Claims management, for clinical and non-clinical claims * A tribunal service for primary care contracting disputes * Advice and support regarding concerns about the individual performance of doctors, dentists and pharmacists * Support to the NHS to aid understanding of claims risk, to assist patient safety activity.

History

The NHS Litigation Authority was established in 1995 as a

special health authority A special health authority is a type of NHS body which provide services on behalf of the National Health Service in England. Unlike other types of trust, they operate nationally rather than serve a specific geographical area. They are a type of " ...

. Its current duties are established under the

National Health Service Act 2006 The National Health Service Act 2006c 41 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sets out the structure of the National Health Service in England. It was altered and completely renumbered by the Health and Social Care Act 2012c ...

. It began using the name NHS Resolution in April 2017, reflecting a change of role to "the early settlement of cases, learning from what goes wrong and the prevention of errors" according to

Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 14 October 2022. He previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport ...

Secretary of State for Health The secretary of state for health and social care, also referred to as the health secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. The incumbent ...

Key people

Martin Thomas, formerly vice-chairman of the

Medical Protection Society The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is one of the three UK mutual protection organisations for medical, dental and healthcare professionals. (Dentists are covered through its subsidiary company Dental Protection). It protects and supports th ...

, was appointed to a three-year term as chair of NHS Resolution in January 2021. Helen Vernon has been chief executive since 2014. Dame Joan Higgins chaired the body from 2007 until she stepped down at the end of 2013. Ian Dilks held the post for two three-year terms, from 2014 to 2020.

References

External links

* {{Department of Health (United Kingdom) 1995 establishments in the United Kingdom Government agencies established in 1995 NHS special health authorities NHS legislation Law of negligence