Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust settled more gynaecology-related claims in West Yorkshire than any other trust as FOI reveals NHS splashes out more than £90 million on damages

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust recorded the highest number of settled gynaecology negligence claims in West Yorkshire over the last five years, new figures reveal – despite paying out compensation in just one of those years.

Data obtained by Medical Negligence Assist through freedom of information requests shows the Leeds trust faced 35 gynaecology-related medical negligence claims between 2020/21 and 2024/25, yet settled only seven.

Those seven cases resulted in total compensation of £434,123, making Leeds the only trust in West Yorkshire to pay out damages for gynaecology negligence during the five-year period.
All compensation was paid in 2022/23, when the trust handed over £434,123 to patients harmed by substandard care. No damages were paid in the remaining four financial years, despite claims continuing to be lodged.

By contrast, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust did not pay out a single penny, despite facing 10 gynaecology negligence claims over the same five-year period.

Across England, NHS trusts paid a combined £91,817,142 in gynaecology-related medical negligence damages over the same period, with 94 trusts responding to FOI requests. While 29 trusts did not pay out at all, others were repeatedly forced to compensate patients.

Nationally, Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was the biggest compensator – handing out £6,267,872, (6.8% of all damages).

In 2020/21, £186,755 was handed over to claimants. Fast-forward four years, that number rose by an unnerving 282% to £714,108.

However, in the years between the foundation trust recorded compensating patients an eye-watering £1,800,10, in 2021/22, followed by a sickening £2,929,061, in 2022/23 before dropping back down to £637,938, 2023/24.

The data uncovers the true extent of medical negligence in the service, and now solicitor Gareth LLoyd, head of medical negligence at JF Law, has urged the Labour government to intervene.

He said:

“The figures paint a distressing time for women. As the data shows, negligence in gynaecological care can lead to serious injuries such as infertility, bladder and bowel problems, which can throw people’s lives upside down.

“With the Labour government promising to tackle problems within the NHS, this £100 million compensation bill should prompt them to take a hard look at gynaecology and to put an effective plan in place to tackle the issues and raise the standard of care.

“More needs to be done to protect women in the UK, and for those women who suffered due to medical negligence, they deserve to be compensated.”

The primary injury claimants filed nationally was that of ‘unnecessary pain’ – with 418 having been recorded in the last five years, while notably, there were 62 people who sought damages for ‘infertility’.

While the damages paid out by NHS trusts in England in its most recent figures on record were almost £2 million less compared to those handed out in 2023/24, it came during a time of widespread strikes at the service.

In 2020/21, £17,782,455 was paid out, with £18,777,210 handed out in 2021/22, a further £18,013,131 in 2022/23, £19,565,601 in 2023/24 and 2024/25 saw patients be compensated £17,678,745.

In total there were 150 cancer-related claims – 62 of which were tragically filed by women who caught their cancer in advanced stages due to the negligence of NHS trusts in England.

The figures follow a recent survey carried out by researchers at Imperial College London that found that gynaecologists and obstetricians recorded high-levels of burnout since 2020.

The World Health Organisation recognise ‘burnout’ as an ‘occupational phenomenon’ and results in workers feeling exhausted and if left unchecked, it can lead to a lack of empathy and compassion towards patients.

The 2022 survey found that out of the 1,114 doctors who participated, 72% met the criteria for burnout.

Medical Negligence Assist offers expert legal support and advice to those affected by gynaecology negligence. You can book a free consultation or call their 24-hour helpline by visiting their website.