North Wales health board paid £22.8M in clinical negligence claims, mostly for birth injuries and care failures in emergency, obstetrics, and surgery.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, covering North Wales, paid £22.8 million in clinical negligence claims and £260,000 in personal injury claims during 2024-25. Birth injury claims, while uncommon, led to the highest settlements. The health board handled 313 clinical negligence and 45 personal injury claims, with diagnosis, treatment, and assessment failures most frequent, especially in emergency, obstetrics, surgery, and trauma care. Slip, trip, and violence or manual handling incidents were top causes of personal injury claims. The board used independent clinical experts to guide £295,539 in redress offers, with 40 accepted and 11 apologies issued without compensation, avoiding litigation and reducing costs. No significant increase in COVID-19-related claims was reported, though some cases remain under review.