An NHS trust operating services in Oldham has paid out nearly £5m over poor care in mental health and psychiatry services in recent years, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained by Medical Negligence Assist found that Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust paid out the sum over five years up to April 2024 to deal with claims of mental health clinical negligence.

Since 2019, 35 claims and incidents of mental health negligence at Pennine Care have been reported to NHS Resolution which handles negligence cases on behalf of the health service. 

Of these, the trust has settled 13 with damages totalling £4,729,401.

READ MORE: Oldham NHS trust faces £29m black hole

Pennine Care has said that the majority of the figure can be attributed to two cases which took place in 2008 and 2012 but were settled within the last five years.

Sarah Preedy, chief operating officer at Pennine Care, said: "We run 150 services providing care and support to 70,000 people each year. The majority of people we care for have a good experience but we know that sometimes we get things wrong.

"The amount reported primarily relates to two cases from over 10 years’ ago. We’re really sorry for the mistakes that were made during that time. Our focus on patient safety is our top priority and we’re committed to continually improving the care we provide."

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In Oldham, Pennine Care runs a range of mental health, learning disability, and autism services.

The findings follow the launch of the long-awaited Lampard Inquiry which began on September 9 and is the first public inquiry specifically looking into mental health deaths. 

It is set to focus on the deaths of more than 2,000 mental health patients under the care of the NHS in Essex between 2000 and 2023 but is likely to have wider implications for mental healthcare across the NHS.