The NHS trust settled 34 claims between 2019 and 2024 with the total paid out the highest of any in London

Barnet Hospital is one of four major North London hospitals run by Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust paid out more than £70million to settle claims of children’s medical negligence over a five-year period – the highest of any NHS trust in London.

The trust, which now runs four major North London hospitals since its January merger with North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, settled 34 claims between 2019 and 2024 with payouts to children and their families worth a total of £70,156,913.

Twenty-one NHS trusts across London paid out £689m in total to settle 525 claims for children’s medical negligence over the five-year period. This is according to fresh data obtained by Medical Negligence Assist, which submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to NHS Resolution, the legal arm of the NHS.

Failure and delays in treatment and diagnosis are among the top causes of child clinical negligence claims being lodged against NHS trusts – and have cost the health service more than £3billion in compensation payouts alone in five years.

Royal Free London has pointed out that medical negligence cases often take many years to resolve and that the data obtained by Medical Negligence Assist does not point to a spike of failings at the trust since 2019 – with some going back as far as 25 years.

A spokesperson said: “The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing a positive experience for all our patients, including those who are looked after by our maternity and children’s services.

“When this is not the case, we ensure our staff share and learn from their experiences, and listen to patients, to reduce the risk of mistakes happening again in the future.

“These claims include incidents that occurred as far back as 20 to 25 years ago.

“We would like to take this opportunity to once again apologise to all the families affected.”

Medical Negligence Assist solicitor Sophie Cope said: “The consequence of clinical negligence can be life-changing for those affected but equally devastating for the families.

“As well as the obvious emotional impact, injuries can cause a bigger financial impact than many can bear.”

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