NHS Redress Bill [Lords]

It lies absolutely at the heart of the redress scheme that we will be able to give quicker responses and better compensation to patients, rather than paying greater fees to lawyers. I am quite certain that lawyers will argue, as some outside the House have already, that much more legal advice should be made available all the way through the process. If we do that, however, we might as well stick with the existing situation in which people seek legal advice and go to court. Given that the redress scheme does not rule out the possibility of court action but will in many cases, I hope, replace it, it is right that the independent legal advice should come at the end of the process and that, in return for a fixed fee, an independent, properly qualified lawyer will be able to look at what happened, the medical evidence and what is proposed by way of compensation and apology. No doubt, though, that is a point to which we shall return later in this debate and in Committee. Clause 8 also allows for a jointly instructed medical expert to be engaged at any point throughout the redress scheme, where both the patient and the trust feel that that would be helpful.