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Through a series of Freedom of Information requests to NHS Resolution on claims made from 2005/2006 to 2017/2018 we have analysed trends of UK litigation in ophthalmology, identifying the most common causes and primary injuries for closed (settled) claims resulting in payment of damages during this 13-year period. We assess the most common causes of litigation in ophthalmology with respect to previous rulings in clinical negligence and provide a case example for discussion.

Medical mistakes can never be eliminated but they can be minimised. From the world of aviation, it is clear that simulation training can have dramatic beneficial effects. Such training, however, is compulsory. In contrast, in the world of medicine there are few countries which have adopted a comparable approach. Unless continued medical registration is directly linked to satisfactory performance in simulated exercises and real events, it is unlikely that significant reductions will be achieved. This review will concentrate on the situation where mistakes and their mismanagement have direct and adverse consequences for patients. It will not be concerned with the recognised complications of procedures and treatments, with the exceptions of poor communication where patients have entered into treatments unaware of the associated risks.

Medical error and the potential subsequent harm caused to patients, relatives and healthcare professionals have been identified as a serious public health concern. Non-technical error has been implicated as a contributing cause in a significant number of adverse events. Modern surgical training in the United Kingdom has evolved to include non-technical skills training to complement traditional technical training. The recognition of non-technical training as well as a renewed focus on legal learning outcomes during training may promote a culture of greater risk awareness and subsequent clinical risk reduction.

Providing an apology which contains a factual explanation following a medical adverse incident may facilitate an amicable settlement and improve patient experience. Numerous apology laws exist with the aim of encouraging an apology but the lack of explicit and specific protection for factual admissions included in "full" apologies can give rise to legal disputes and deter their use. The new Hong Kong Apology Ordinance expressly prohibits the admission of a statement of fact in an apology as evidence of fault in a wide range of applicable proceedings and thus provides the clearest and most comprehensive apology protection to date. This should significantly encourage open medical disclosure and the provision of an apology when things go wrong. This paper examines the significance and implication of the Apology Ordinance in the medico-legal context.

This article considers different approaches with a view to reducing NHS legal costs and damages for clinical failures on the basis that these are out of control and reducing resources for the treatment of current and future patients.

Acute stroke care has undergone momentous changes in recent years with the introduction of intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy and integrated stroke services. While these are welcome developments, they also carry unique medico-legal challenges. In 2015, a patient from Greater Manchester was awarded over £1 million in compensation after ambulance paramedics failed to admit her to a specialist unit. This paper explores the medico-legal implications of this first but over looked thrombolysis-related claim in the United Kingdom. It is submitted that the highly time-dependent and multidisciplinary nature of acute stroke care may expose a host of healthcare personnel, both medical and non-medical, to risks of legal pursuit for failing to provide appropriate care, and that available scientific evidence will likely support such claims. The situation calls for an urgent and concerted effort at implementing improvement measures at national levels. A reminder of the legal consequences of substandard acute stroke care is timely and necessary.