Louise Thompson Speaks Out as NHS Compensation Hits Record £2.8 Billion

Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson called out the NHS, echoing a growing public concern: last year, the health service paid a staggering £2.8 billion in medical negligence compensation. Half of that amount—around £1.15 billion—was due to maternity care failures, illustrating a systemic gender disparity in health outcomes.

The Numbers Behind the Headlines

A House of Commons Library report, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, revealed that NHS compensation payouts have more than doubled over the last decade—surging from £1.2 billion in 2014–15 to £2.8 billion in 2023–24.

Notably, obstetric care claims account for 41% of that total—translating to nearly £1.15 billion paid for childbirth-related errors in a single year, despite obstetrics representing just 12–13% of all clinical negligence cases.

The NHS continues to mount a growing fiscal liability, with total future liabilities estimated at £58.2–60 billion, marking one of the NHS’s largest financial burdens outside of nuclear decommissioning.

Why This Matters to Women—and Society

For women and birthing people, these figures rigidly map onto real-world failures in maternal care. Errors during childbirth don’t just alter lives—they set off precisely measured financial and emotional fallout. Thompson’s call for change underscores a simple truth: When maternal health fails, women bear the cost—both physically and economically.

What’s Being Done—and What’s Still Missing

While NHS Resolution reports that over 80% of claims are resolved without litigation, an approach hailed for reducing stress and court delays, financial burdens continue to balloon.

The Public Accounts Committee has urged immediate reforms, calling on the Department of Health to explain—but also actively reduce—harms caused by preventable errors and maternity care failures.

Strategies like the Maternity Incentive Scheme aim to reward safer practices, though critics argue these remain too half-hearted in the face of such profound gendered disparities.

The Female Body Stands with Louise Thompson

This isn’t just headline litigation—it’s a gut-wrenching reality for thousands of families.

As Louise Thompson rightly puts it, the NHS needs more than improvements: it needs structural urgency, gender-informed reform, and investments in safety—not payouts.

Because health equity isn’t an optional luxury—it’s a matter of justice. And the rising cost of negligence underscores that we’re paying, in more ways than one.

Want to explore the data?

• NHS clinical negligence payouts: £2.8bn in 2023–24 (Medical Solicitors)

• Maternity-related payouts: ~£1.15bn or 41% of the total (libdems.org.uk)

• Future liability: ~£58bn–£60bn (The Guardian, Medscape, publications.parliament.uk)

• Claims resolved without litigation: over 80% (The Times, Medical Solicitors)

Let this be a turning point, not just a news cycle.