A Hampshire hospital trust has paid out more than £1.4 million in negligence claims in the last five years, new data has revealed. 

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust has forked out £1,444,111 for mental health clinical negligence claims in the five-year period up to April 2024. 

Data obtained by Medical Negligence Assist through a Freedom of Information request show that 36 claims and incidents of mental health negligence at the trust were reported. 

Out of these, 21 claims have been settled since 2019, the 12th highest number out of all of the NHS trusts. 

On top of the payouts, Southern Health also paid £212,308 in NHS legal costs and £874,850 in claimant legal costs. 

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But a spokesperson for the trust said people "should be confident of a good experience whenever they use the health service as providing safe, effective care is our top priority".

They added: “It is important that the NHS supports people in the unlikely event that there are any problems with their care and in some cases this includes financial compensation.

“Southern Health is one of the larger NHS trusts providing mental health care and whilst we constantly work to prevent the need for claims, the data suggests that the number of claims across the period, and the amount paid, is in line with that experienced by similar Trusts nationally.

“If people have any concerns about their care, they should speak with their clinical team or contact the Trust’s Patient and Carer Support Hub for additional support.”

Southern Health provides over six hundred thousand mental health contacts with patients and supports around sixty thousand people every year with their mental health.

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The Trust serves a population of around 1.5million people at its sites at Western Community Hospital, Fareham Community Hospital, Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Lymington New Forest Hospital, Romsey Community Hospital and Petersfield Hospital.

University Hospitals Southampton Trust had either zero or less than five claims lodged against it therefore, NHS resolution did not provide any information on the trust.

The NHS as a whole has paid out at least £121m in mental health and psychiatry negligence claims in the last five years.

That includes £51m over claims related to death, £28m for failures or delays in treatment and a further £18m over claims related to self-harm.  

Fatalities were the most common reason for mental health negligence claims made against the NHS with 1,127 claims and incidents of death lodged against NHS Trusts since 2019 with 457 claims settled and damages totalling £51.2m.

The investigation follows the launch of the Lampard Inquiry which began on September 9 focussing on the deaths of more than 2,000 mental health patients under the care of the NHS in Essex.