Aim The litigious burden in the NHS has been increasing yearly, costing an estimated £2.5 billion per year in financial settlements. We investigated the causes of general surgical settlements and attributed costs at a district general hospital over a five-year period. Method A retrospective analysis of all general surgical claims between 2016–2021 using the NHS Resolutions Case Management System. Selected cases were those which resulted in out of court financial settlements; whilst these claims have been settled, the trust admitted no negligence in each case. Results A total of 12 settlements were made with a total cost of £249,918 (£8000-£60,000, mean £20,827). Eight of the claims (67%) related to elective cases with four (33%) emergency cases. Of the total cases, 41% and 33% related to management of gallstones and appendicitis respectively. The majority of claims (58%) related to delays in treatment with a total cost of £103,500 (£8000-£35,000), accounting for 41% of total settlement costs. Five cases (42%) were due to harm with a combined total of £146,418 (£9000-£60,000), 59% of the total settlement. Of the claims due to harm, 80% suffered recognised complications of the procedure. Conclusions Increasing litigation in the NHS over the last decade now accounts for 2% of the total NHS budget. The majority of settlements reviewed here were for avoidable delays in elective treatment, with higher financial settlements for well documented surgical complications related to the consent process. Better access to investigations, earlier clinical review, and reductions in delays to elective surgeries may reduce the financial burden of litigation.

Aim The litigious burden in the NHS has been increasing yearly, costing an estimated £2.5 billion per year in financial settlements. We investigated the causes of general surgical settlements and attributed costs at a district general hospital over a five-year period. Method A retrospective analysis of all general surgical claims between 2016–2021 using the NHS Resolutions Case Management System. Selected cases were those which resulted in out of court financial settlements; whilst these claims have been settled, the trust admitted no negligence in each case. Results A total of 12 settlements were made with a total cost of £249,918 (£8000-£60,000, mean £20,827). Eight of the claims (67%) related to elective cases with four (33%) emergency cases. Of the total cases, 41% and 33% related to management of gallstones and appendicitis respectively. The majority of claims (58%) related to delays in treatment with a total cost of £103,500 (£8000-£35,000), accounting for 41% of total settlement costs. Five cases (42%) were due to harm with a combined total of £146,418 (£9000-£60,000), 59% of the total settlement. Of the claims due to harm, 80% suffered recognised complications of the procedure. Conclusions Increasing litigation in the NHS over the last decade now accounts for 2% of the total NHS budget. The majority of settlements reviewed here were for avoidable delays in elective treatment, with higher financial settlements for well documented surgical complications related to the consent process. Better access to investigations, earlier clinical review, and reductions in delays to elective surgeries may reduce the financial burden of litigation.

Background Pre-operative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), stone removal and interval cholecystectomy is the widely practiced management for choledocholithiasis with concomitant gallstones. Biliary stenting is performed with plastic or metallic stents which require removal after 3–6 months. The sequelae from the forgotten biliary stent following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, stent occlusion, migration or cholangitis, carry significant morbidity and cost implications. Methods Pre-operative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), stone removal and interval cholecystectomy is the widely practiced management for choledocholithiasis with concomitant gallstones. Biliary stenting is performed with plastic or metallic stents which require removal after 3–6 months. The sequelae from the forgotten biliary stent following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, stent occlusion, migration or cholangitis, carry significant morbidity and cost implications. Results 308 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed in the study period. 25 (8%) underwent pre-operative biliary stenting, of these 16 underwent successful stent removal. 7 patients are still awaiting removal and 2 were discharged without stent removal and lost to follow up. One of these required emergency admission and removal of the stent at a tertiary centre due to stent complication. The average time from biliary stenting with ERCP to cholecystectomy was 99 days. The average time from cholecystectomy to removal of biliary stents was 113 days. The average length of time from insertion of biliary stent to removal was 195 days. Conclusions Where common bile duct exploration at the time of cholecystectomy is not possible we recommend ERCP units provide a stent registry system with a deadline for biliary stents in the registry system for each patient.

Clinical decision support tools should have a role in the management of patients with comorbidities. But until now, these tools have offered minimal support for managing such patients. BMJ Best Practice has recently launched a new resource – the comorbidities tool from BMJ Best Practice. This article describes and contextualizes the themes discussed at a workshop with junior doctors on clinical decision support for health-care professionals on comorbidities. Comorbidities were vitally important to the clinical practice of all the doctors in the workshop, but most perceived a lack of specific teaching and support on the subject of comorbidities. Most of the doctors found it a challenge to manage patients with comorbidities and were enthusiastic about a tool that would help them overcome these challenges and improve their clinical decision-making. We found that a workshop led by junior doctors provided deep insights into the issue of clinical decision support for patients with comorbidities.