…but, this story does restore a bit of faith in humanity.

Recently the Daily Telegraph reported on a woman who refused to sue the NHS when her GP husband, contracted cancer after working in a hospital that was built using asbestos. That’s despite the fact that the family of a surgeon who died after working at the same hospital was awarded £1.15 million.

73-year old Gillian Chapman told the Telegraph, “I don’t approve of those people who go around chasing ambulances trying to find someone to sue. I think the country is in a bad enough state without people knocking it even more.”

Unfortunately there aren’t many people like Mrs Chapman but there’s a whole industry dedicated to doing just that…

Last year it emerged that “no-win, no-fee” lawyers were being allowed to charge the NHS Litigation Authority compensation scheme up to £804 an hour. The scheme is intended to compensate patients for medical blunders and inadequate care but seems to be more beneficial for compensation lawyers who are claiming costs and “success fees” worth about £100m a year.

Bertie Leigh, a lawyer who defends the NHS in litigation cases, said in The Times that he regarded many of the cases he sees as a “buccaneering attack on the funds of the NHS”. In some cases the payouts claimed were 10 times more than the damages won by the patient!