News: Research highlights cost of litigation culture

Research by the Centre for Policy Studies has highlighted the financial and social cost of today’s ‘culture of litigation’ on health and education services.

In The Social Cost of Litigation, the authors argue that far from increasing safety and accountability, the culture of litigation has resulted in significant costs to the quality of services, the experience of those who use them and the role of professionals.

‘Demanding recompense for accidents is now perceived, not only as a common-sense way of gaining financial compensation, but as a way of holding public services to account,” said report author Professor Frank Furedi of the University of Kent.

‘But taken together, the combination of an engrained compensation culture and litigation avoidance is bleeding the health and education services dry: both financially, and in terms of their public sector ethos and professional role.’

‘This rise in the compensation culture has huge – if largely hidden – costs. In particular, it has created a climate in which professionals will prioritise litigation avoidance above what is best for their pupils or patients, said Tim Knox, director of the Centre for Policy Studies.