More than £5m damages paid out for misdiagnosis errors at Oxfordshire hospitals trust
More than £5m has been paid out by Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUH) in the past six years, in damages for misdiagnosis errors.
Data released through Freedom of Information shows 98 misdiagnosis claims were lodged against the trust between 2019/20 and 2024/25.
Of those, 47 cases were settled, with the trust paying out a total of £5,133,413 in damages. This equates to an average compensation of £109,222 per successful claimant.
Because Oxford is the only trust in the data from Oxfordshire, a comparison with trusts from each of the county's neighbouring regions puts this figure into perspective. Oxford's total payout trailed several major trusts in surrounding counties, including Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust at £14,945,325, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at £14,223,898, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust at £10,101,427 and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust at £7,575,934.
Data for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reveals that compensation costs peaked during the 2023/24 financial year when 11 claims resulted in a total of £3,526,626 being paid out. The highest volume of claims lodged came in 2024/25 when 21 claims were lodged but no compensation settlements were made.
In 2019/20 15 claims were lodged (£462,625 paid); 2020/21: 14 claims lodged (£0 paid); 2021/22: 20 claims lodged (£640,000 paid); 2022/23: 17 claims lodged (£504,162 paid).
An OUH spokesperson said: "We are committed to delivering high quality, safe, and effective care to the people who we serve. We also work closely with patients, families, carers and NHS Resolution to resolve any compensation claim at the earliest opportunity.
“As an organisation, we are continually looking at how we can learn and improve the care we deliver in partnership with our patients, families and carers."
Compensation does not come out of the trust’s budget, though the OUH does pay a premium for the ‘insurance’ system operated by NHS Resolution (NHSR) which settles such damages.
NHSR is a Special Health Authority which provides an indemnity scheme for clinical negligence claims for NHS trusts in England and Wales, the clinician Negligence Scheme for Trusts. Members pay an annual contribution to NHSR for this cover. NHSR are then responsible for the investigation and management of all CNST claims made against their member Trusts and, when considered appropriate, the decision to make, negotiate and pay any settlements.
The assessment of clinical negligence claims is often very complex from a medical treatment and prognosis perspective. It can take several years to investigate and assess past, present and future care, support and treatment requirements, which can mean some claims against NHS trusts take several years to reach an agreed settlement.
Variation in the number and size of claims each year and the length of investigation means the total amount of compensation paid in any one year varies.
Collectively, Oxford and the trusts across its six neighbouring counties faced 594 lodged claims and paid out a combined £72,004,174 over the six-year period.
Sophie Cope, a medical negligence solicitor at Medical Negligence Assist – which compiled the data and offers expert legal support – urged health leaders to intervene.
"The figures highlight a deeply concerning trend that leaves patients paying the ultimate price," she said. "We regularly see cases where a delay in diagnosis leads to devastating, life-altering consequences."