MEDICAL negligence payouts have added up to over £108 million for the two major hospitals serving Farnham, Frimley Park and the Royal Surrey, in just five years.

It’s according to figures obtained by the BBC, showing just how costly mistakes made by NHS staff can be.

Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust paid a staggering total of £53,958,909.33 worth of payouts in just five years, from 2012 to 2017.

Mistakes made at Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between the year’s 2012 and 2014 resulted in payouts of £11,237,586.63.

On October 1, 2014, Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust joined to create Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Since then, between 2014 and 2017, Frimley Health has also made payouts of £43,227,388.98.

The Royal Surrey said the hospital is committed to providing the highest possible standards of safety, care and outcomes for all its patients.

“Sometimes things don’t go as planned and when this happens the Trust investigates fully, including inviting external review where appropriate.

“The outcomes of investigations and learning that arises from these is shared with staff and where necessary, improvements made to processes to prevent future incidents.

“NHS Trusts are insured by NHS Resolution, so any money paid in response to a claim is not taken directly from that intended for patient care.

“Claim amounts vary depending on the complexity of the case involved and the individual care needs of the patient, so the monies paid to claimants are not a direct indicator of the number of claims made. They also include legal fees, which can be substantial.”

A spokesperson for Frimley Health said the figures are inclusive of all three of its hospital sites and so they are serving a higher number of patients compared to many other trusts in the area.