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DH GIRFT initiative to focus on trusts with high litigation costs

How much could the NHS save by getting it right first time?

The Department of Health getting it right first time (GIRFT) programme has announced an initiative focusing on trusts with high litigation costs.

The GIRFT programme is clinician-led and aims to to improve NHS care by reducing variation. It is jointly managed by NHS Improvement and the NHS Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust. It currently covers 34 services and specialities.

HSJ has reported that the litigation initiative will use national litigation data to identify outliers with high costs, and then to decide whether claims could be reduced by adopting clinical practices used by trusts with low litigation costs.

The journal added that Professor Briggs argues that this area of variation represents a massive opportunity.

NHS Resolution, which provides indemnity schemes for the NHS in England, predicts that in the financial year 2017/18 clinical negligence will cost the NHS £1.9bn. It expects this to rise to £2.69bn by 2019/20.

Further information

HSJl: Trusts with high litigation costs to come under the spotlight

Wellards News: ‘Getting it right first time’ programme has great potential, says King’s Fund analyst

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