Conference calls for urgency on reform of 'painfully slow' medical negligence process

At the Medical Protection Society’s (MPS) annual conference Dr Rob Hendry will argue long cases are 'racking up legal costs that are among the highest of all the countries where we operate'.

As patients and doctors continue to face a “brutal” legal process for medical issues in Ireland, the Government has been urged to move on long-delayed reforms.

It is 10 years since legislation was introduced which could have seen better access to mediation brought in. 

On Saturday, at the Medical Protection Society’s (MPS) annual conference Dr Rob Hendry will call for this to speed up. Other speakers include solicitors from firms in Cork and Dublin.

He said: “Being involved in a clinical negligence claim can be brutal for both patients and doctors. In Ireland however, this is made much worse by a painfully slow process, longer than in any other country where MPS has members.” 

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He argued long cases are “racking up legal costs that are among the highest of all the countries where we operate”. The online conference will hear this can add to the cost of indemnity for doctors. 

"The regulations now just need to be drafted to facilitate this, something successive governments including the current Government, have committed to, but sadly not yet delivered on," he said. 

MPS data shows patients taking a claim face just over four years on average before resolution. This compares to 913 days on average in Britain. Legal costs can reach on average €38,673 compared to €13,202 in Britain, it said.

The Programme for Government says it will consider setting up a dedicated medical negligence court.

It also says it will make it “easier and less stressful” for patients when things go wrong by implementing a report which examined reasons for the rising cost of health claims.