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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sellafield could leak until 2050s, MPs warn
The UK's largest nuclear site could continue leaking radioactive water until the 2050s, MPs have warned, while its clean-up operations struggle to progress quickly enough. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) criticised the speed of decommissioning work at Sellafield in Cumbria, citing "cost overruns and continuing safety concerns" in a report published on Wednesday. Although the committee noted there were "signs of improvement", PAC chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said Sellafield continued to present "intolerable risks". The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) acknowledged the leak at its Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) was its "single biggest environmental issue". The MSSS, which the NDA described as "the most hazardous building in the UK", has been leaking radioactive water into the ground since 2018, releasing enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool every three years. It is likely to continue leaking until the oldest section of the building has been emptied in the 2050s, about a decade later than previously expected. Sir Geoffrey said: "As with the fight against climate change, the sheer scale of the hundred-year timeframe of the decommissioning project makes it hard to grasp the immediacy of safety hazards and cost overruns that delays can have. "Every day at Sellafield is a race against time to complete works before buildings reach the end of their life. "Our report contains too many signs that this is a race that Sellafield risks losing." Pointing to the fact that Sellafield Ltd had missed most of its annual targets for retrieving waste from buildings, including the MSSS, the committee warned: "The consequence of this underperformance is that the buildings are likely to remain extremely hazardous for longer." A spokeswoman for the NDA said the "leak in the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo is contained and does not pose a risk to the public". "Regulators accept that the current plan to tackle the leak is the most effective one." Sir Geoffrey said it was of "vital importance that the government grasp the daily urgency of the work taking place at Sellafield and shed any sense of a far-off date of completion for which no-one currently living is responsible". "Sellafield's risks and challenges are those of the present day. "There are some early indications of some improvement in Sellafield's delivery, which our report notes. "The government must do far more to hold all involved immediately accountable to ensure these do not represent a false dawn, and to better safeguard both the public purse and the public itself." Sellafield ceased generating electricity in 2003 and, in addition to work cleaning up the site, now processes and stores nuclear waste from power plants around the UK. The government plans to create an underground geological disposal facility (GDF) to store nuclear waste for the thousands of years it will take to become safe. But the committee said delays in creating the GDF, which is now not expected to be complete until the late 2050s, meant more costs for Sellafield. NDA chief executive David Peattie said it welcomed the report, adding it took the "findings seriously and the safety of the site and the wellbeing of our people will always be our highest priorities". "We are pleased they recognise improvements in delivering major projects and that we are safely retrieving waste from all four highest hazard facilities." The PAC expressed concern there was a "sub-optimal culture" at Sellafield and called on the NDA to publish information about the prevalence and perception of bullying in its annual report. The NDA spokeswoman said: "We're committed to an open and respectful culture and we've taken decisive action to enable this, including strengthening our whistleblowing policy." The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it "expected the highest standards of safety and security as former nuclear sites are dismantled, and the regulator is clear that public safety is not compromised at Sellafield". "This is underpinned by monthly performance reviews and increased responsibility for overseeing major project performance, enabling more direct scrutiny and intervention," a spokeswoman for the department said. "We have zero tolerance of bullying, harassment and offensive behaviour in the workplace - we expect Sellafield and the NDA to operate on this basis, investigate allegations and take robust action when needed." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Leak is Sellafield's 'biggest environmental issue' GMB warns over potential nuclear plant Budget cuts Nuclear site runs up 'considerable' costs - report Plan for new building to store radioactive waste Sellafield Ltd Public Accounts Committee
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Government has no clear plan for NHS England abolition
The government is abolishing NHS England without a clear plan for how it will be achieved and how it will benefit frontline care, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. Ministers announced in March that the body responsible for overseeing the health service in England would go, with its functions brought into the Department of Health and Social the Public Accounts Committee said it was concerned about the uncertainty being caused and urged the government to set out a clear plan within the next three government said the move would eliminate "wasteful duplication" and that detailed planning had started. Alongside the changes at a national level, the 42 local health boards responsible for planning services are also having to shed around half of their 25,000 MPs also raised concerns about the "jaw-dropping" amount of money lawyers are making from clinical negligence claims. Of the £2.8bn paid out in 2023-24, nearly a fifth went on legal said this was unacceptable and more must be done to improve safety. Huge pressure Committee chair and Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the changes to NHS England and local health boards amounted to a major structural reform. He said strong decision-making and experienced staff would be vital to manage a period of "huge pressure" for the NHS."It has been two months since the government's decision to remove what, up until now, has been seen as a key piece of machinery, without articulating a clear plan for what comes next – and the future for patients and staff remains hazy," he England, which employs nearly 15,000 staff, is in charge of £193bn of public sector money this reduction in staffing of abolishing NHS England is expected to save £400m, while the cut in local health board staff is expected to add another £700-750m. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said the changes would eliminate "wasteful duplication" and a joint board was already working on detailed plans."Serious reform is needed to tackle the challenges facing the NHS," she added. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, said the changes "marked the biggest reshaping of the NHS in a decade".He said that while many managers in the NHS understood the need for change, the lack of detail and how the plans fitted in with the forthcoming 10-year plan were "a cause for concern" for those running the health service.
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
NHS medical negligence liabilities hit £58.2bn amid calls to improve patient safety
The NHS's total liabilities for medical negligence have hit an 'astounding' £58.2bn amid ministers' failure to improve patient safety, an influential group of MPs have warned. The Commons public accounts committee (PAC) said the 'jaw-dropping' sums being paid to victims of botched treatment and government inaction to reduce errors were 'unacceptable'. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has set aside £58.2bn to settle lawsuits arising from clinical negligence that occurred in England before 1 April 2024, the PAC disclosed. The sum is so huge that it is the second-largest liability across the whole of government, with only nuclear decommissioning costlier, the committee said in a damning report. 'The fact that government has set aside tens of billions of pounds for clinical negligence payments, its second most costly liability after some of the world's most complex nuclear decommissioning projects, should give our entire society pause,' said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the PAC chair. 'This is a sign of a system struggling to do right by the people it is designed to help,' he added. The PAC urged ministers to take urgent steps to reduce 'tragic incidences of patient harm' and to also end a situation where lawyers take an 'astronomical' 19% of the compensation awarded to those who are successful in suing the NHS. That amounted to £536m of the £2.8bn that the health service in England paid out in damages in 2023-24 – its record bill for mistakes. 'Far too many patients still suffer clinical negligence which can cause devastating harm to those affected,' and the ensuing damages drain vital funds from the NHS, the report said. A DHSC source accepted the PAC's findings, saying: 'The cost of clinical negligence claims is rising at an unsustainable rate, eating into resources available for frontline care. Annual cash payments have more than doubled in the last 10 years and quadrupled in the past 17 years to £2.8bn.' The PAC criticised the department for not yet having explained why patient harm occurs and devised a strategy to overhaul patient safety, despite the committee in the last parliament asking the DHSC do so by last summer. The DHSC 'has only recently written to us in response' to that recommendation, the PAC said. 'It is unacceptable that the department is yet to develop a plan to deal with the cost of clinical negligence claims and so much taxpayers' money is being spent on legal fees,' the report says. Paul Whiteing, the chief executive of patient safety charity Action Against Medical Accidents, said that lawsuits arose over errors by NHS staff in every area of care. 'But the largest sums are awarded to families of babies that are left with lifelong disabilities, such as brain damage, through negligence at birth.' The NHS has faced a series of maternity care scandals in recent years that have left mothers and babies dead or badly injured. In 2023 the Care Quality Commission, the health service care regulator, said that two-thirds of maternity units provided substandard care. The NHS would face fewer lawsuits if it was more open when mistakes happen, Whiteing added. 'We see many people who only litigate because the NHS 'pulled down the shutters', by which I mean failed to properly look into what went wrong, offer a meaningful apology for their mistake and involve the family in the investigation. If steps such as these were followed, many fewer people would resort to litigation,' he said. Jess Brown-Fuller, a Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said the huge cost of NHS medical negligence payouts are 'symptomatic of a health service that simply is not functioning. The Labour government's embrace of dither and delay on social care, maternity reforms and rebuilding our hospitals is prolonging the misery.' In its analysis of the DHSC's annual report and accounts for 2023-24, the PAC also revealed the cost of building long-planned new high containment labs in Harlow, Essex, to help protect the UK against infectious diseases, had spiralled from £530m to 'an eye-watering projected £3.2bn'. And it criticised the government for not spelling out what impact its decision to abolish NHS England and axe tens of thousands of health service managers would have on patients and staff. It voiced concern about cuts to dentistry, GP services and health prevention. Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, echoed the PAC's unease. 'While many leaders understand the need for change, the lack of detail on how the national shake-up will be taken forward, the pace of this restructure, and how it connects to the ambitions of the 10-year plan are a cause for concern among staff,' he said. A DHSC spokesperson said: 'Patient safety is the bedrock of a healthy NHS and social care system. This government will ensure the country has the best system in place to keep patients safe by overhauling the overly complex bureaucracy of healthcare regulation and oversight and we will examine the drivers of costs, how to manage spending on clinical negligence and the potential merits of reform options.'
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Ministers slammed over ‘jaw-dropping' NHS negligence claims for poor care
The NHS must do more to reduce 'tragic' incidents of patient harm and cut 'jaw-dropping' payouts for poor care, MPs have warned as costs spiral to a record high. Compensation for clinical negligence claims cost £2.8bn in 2023-24 – up from £2.6bn the year before – with hundreds of millions paid out in legal fees. The highest number of claims were for failings in emergency medicine, obstetrics, orthopaedic and general surgery, with maternity care payouts costing the most, totalling £1.1bn last year. The Department of Health and Social Care has set aside an 'astounding' £58.2bn to cover the potential costs of clinical negligence events occurring before April 2024. The public accounts committee sounded the alarm on the rise, saying ministers needed to get a grip on NHS finances. Its chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: 'The fact that the government has set aside tens of billions of pounds for clinical negligence payments, its second most costly liability after some of the world's most complex nuclear decommissioning projects, should give our entire society pause. 'It must be a priority of the highest order for the government to reduce tragic incidences of patient harm and lay out a mechanism to reduce legal fees to manage the jaw-dropping costs involved more effectively.' The most recent NHS data shows 4,076 incidents of severe harm to patients and 4,449 patient deaths were recorded by the NHS in just three months from October to December last year. And a fifth of last year's record £2.8bn compensation bill – £545m – went to lawyers. That amount is higher than the entire expenditure of the government's legal department, the report found, which totalled £341m in the same year. In the past five years alone, NHS Resolution, which manages negligence claims, has spent over £12bn on payouts – £2.4bn of which has been spent on claimants' legal fees. 'If we can reduce the leakage of lawyers' fees in the middle, that benefits the whole of the NHS, because there will be more money available for other services,' said Sir Geoffrey, Hospital chiefs in England warned last week that they have been forced to cut nurse and doctor posts and scale back emergency and maternity care to meet the government 's 'eye watering' savings demands for 2025-26. The committee challenged the DHSC to set out how it intends to 'reduce tragic incidents of patient harm' and manage the costs of negligence 'more effectively'. Acknowledging the high cost of payouts for maternity care failings, Sir Geoffrey said the difference between some maternity units and others 'is quite significant'. He said: 'Obstetrics is an inherently dangerous process, so the line between doing harm and negligence is quite narrow, but the NHS need to look carefully at why some units do get more negligence claims than others.' MPs on the committee also criticised the DHSC, which they said 'lacks a grip of the financial pressures it faces'. MPs also raised concerns over the 'uncertainty' surrounding the abolition of NHS England, announced in March, which they said had created 'high levels of uncertainty for patients and for staff'. They said the DHSC had a 'lack of firm plans' for its closure and reducing its headcount by 50 per cent. 'At the moment, it looks a little bit like shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic. We really want to make sure that this thing is going to work properly,' Sir Geoffrey told The Independent. 'It has been two months since the government's decision to remove what up until now has been seen as a key piece of machinery without articulating a clear plan for what comes next, and the future for patients and staff remains hazy,' he said. MPs highlighted how some hospitals in England had pushed through unauthorised special exit packages – severance payments which require Treasury sign-off because they are new or contentious, totalling more than £180,000 in 2023/24. 'There remain far too many special severance payments where approval has only been sought after the payment has been made,' they added.
