Ombudsman plans to locate blame in complaints cases

When the British health ombudsman begins investigating complaints about the clinical judgment of NHS doctors this year he intends to consider questions of fault. This is in contrast with the trend in litigation, where most medical negligence claims are settled out of court with no admission of fault or explanation.

In a paper describing his new powers the ombudsman, Mr William Reid, states that legal proceedings, even when damages are paid, provide no assurance to the complainant that any …