NHS Compensation Calculator
NHS compensation calculator – get a free, instant estimate of your medical negligence claim value. If you've suffered harm due to substandard NHS care, our tool calculates potential compensation based on the Judicial College Guidelines 2024 (updated for 2026). Simply select your injury type, severity level, and any financial losses. Within minutes, you'll receive a personalised estimate covering both general damages (pain and suffering) and special damages (financial losses). Completely confidential, no obligation, no contact details required.
Based on Judicial College Guidelines 2024 (Updated 2026)What type of injury did you suffer?
Select the category that best describes your injury from NHS negligence.
Not sure which category? Select the area of your body most affected by the negligence. If you suffered multiple injuries, choose the most serious one.
Have you made a formal complaint? Research shows 81% of claimants also made an NHS complaint. A complaint can help gather information, but isn't required to make a claim. You can do both.
How severe is your injury?
Select the severity level that best matches your situation.
Calculate your financial losses
Enter any costs or losses you've had because of the negligence. Leave blank if none.
Keep your receipts! You'll need evidence of these costs to claim special damages. Payslips, invoices, and bank statements all count as valid proof.
Your Compensation Estimate
Based on Judicial College Guidelines
Compensation Breakdown
Important: 3-Year Time Limit
You usually have 3 years from the date of the incident (or when you first knew something was wrong) to start a claim. Don't delay seeking advice.
- Help prevent similar incidents happening to others
- Obtain a full explanation of what went wrong
- Receive an acknowledgment and apology
- Hold the organisation accountable
- Contribute to NHS safety improvements
Making a claim will not impact your future NHS treatment. Compensation is paid by NHS Resolution (a central fund), not from frontline services or individual staff.
This calculator provides estimates based on Judicial College Guidelines and is for informational purposes only. Actual compensation depends on your individual circumstances. This is not legal advice. For an accurate assessment, please consult a qualified medical negligence solicitor who can evaluate your specific case.
Speak to a specialist medical negligence solicitor for a free, no-obligation case review. They can provide answers and support.
NHS Resolution paid £3.1 billion in compensation during 2024/25—a 10% increase from the previous year. If you believe you’ve been harmed by NHS negligence, understanding your potential claim value is the first step toward getting the support you deserve.
How Our NHS Compensation Calculator Works
Our calculator guides you through a simple 4-step process to estimate your potential NHS compensation claim:
Step 1: Select Your Injury Category Choose from 13 injury categories including brain damage, spinal injuries, birth injuries, surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and more.
Step 2: Choose Your Specific Injury Select from over 50 specific injury types within your chosen category for a more accurate estimate.
Step 3: Indicate Severity Level Tell us whether your injury is minor, moderate, severe, or catastrophic. Each level affects the compensation range.
Step 4: Enter Financial Losses Add any special damages you’ve incurred—lost earnings, medical expenses, care costs, travel expenses, and home adaptations.
Your results appear instantly. You’ll see a breakdown of general damages (compensation for pain and suffering) and special damages (your financial losses), giving you a total estimated compensation range.
No contact details required. No obligation. Completely free.
How Is NHS Compensation Calculated?
Understanding how compensation is calculated helps you know what to expect from a potential claim. NHS medical negligence compensation is divided into two main parts.
General Damages (Pain and Suffering)
General damages compensate you for the physical pain, mental suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by the negligence. This is sometimes called “loss of amenity.”
Solicitors and courts use the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to value these injuries. The JCG is an official publication (currently the 17th Edition, April 2024) that sets standardised compensation brackets for different injury types and severities.
The amount depends on:
- How serious your injury is
- Whether it’s temporary or permanent
- How it affects your daily life
- Your recovery prognosis
- The psychological impact
Our calculator uses these official JCG brackets, adjusted for inflation to provide accurate 2026 estimates.
Special Damages (Financial Losses)
Special damages cover the money you’ve lost or spent because of the negligence. Unlike general damages, these are based on actual figures you can prove with evidence.
Special damages can include:
- Lost earnings – Income you’ve missed because you couldn’t work
- Future lost earnings – If you can’t return to your previous job or work at all
- Medical expenses – Private treatment, prescriptions, physiotherapy, counselling
- Care costs – Professional carers or family members helping you
- Travel expenses – Getting to hospital appointments
- Home adaptations – Stairlifts, ramps, wet rooms, modified vehicles
- Equipment – Wheelchairs, mobility aids, special beds
In severe cases, special damages can far exceed general damages. Someone with catastrophic injuries requiring lifelong care may receive millions in special damages alone.
Important: You’ll need evidence for special damages claims. Keep all receipts, payslips, invoices, and bank statements.
The Judicial College Guidelines Explained
The Judicial College Guidelines are the standard reference used by solicitors, barristers, and judges across England and Wales to value personal injury claims, including medical negligence.
First published in 1992, the guidelines are regularly updated to reflect court decisions and inflation. The current edition (17th, April 2024) provides compensation brackets for virtually every type of injury.
Our calculator references these guidelines directly, applying an inflation adjustment to ensure figures remain accurate for 2026 claims.
NHS Compensation Amounts by Injury Type
The table below shows general damages brackets based on Judicial College Guidelines, adjusted for 2026:
| Injury Category | Severity | Compensation Range |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Damage | Very Severe | £370,000 – £530,000 |
| Brain Damage | Moderately Severe | £290,000 – £370,000 |
| Brain Damage | Moderate | £166,000 – £290,000 |
| Paralysis | Tetraplegia (All Limbs) | £425,000 – £530,000 |
| Paralysis | Paraplegia (Lower Body) | £290,000 – £375,000 |
| Spinal Injury | Severe | £120,000 – £212,000 |
| Birth Injury | Cerebral Palsy (Severe) | £400,000 – £530,000 |
| Birth Injury | Erb’s Palsy (Severe) | £95,000 – £145,000 |
| Amputation | Both Legs (Above Knee) | £265,000 – £355,000 |
| Amputation | One Leg (Above Knee) | £138,000 – £181,000 |
| Amputation | One Arm (Above Elbow) | £137,000 – £165,000 |
| Organ Damage | Both Kidneys | £223,000 – £277,000 |
| Organ Damage | Severe Bowel Injury | £150,000 – £242,000 |
| Eye Injury | Total Blindness | £290,000 – £355,000 |
| Eye Injury | Loss of One Eye | £72,000 – £86,000 |
| Hearing | Total Deafness | £105,000 – £145,000 |
| Psychiatric | Severe PTSD | £72,000 – £152,000 |
| Psychiatric | Moderately Severe | £25,000 – £72,000 |
| Surgical Error | Severe Complications | £50,000 – £150,000 |
| Misdiagnosis | Cancer (Life Shortened) | £75,000 – £150,000 |
| Hospital Infection | Severe Sepsis | £50,000 – £150,000 |
| Minor Injuries | Full Recovery (Months) | £5,000 – £15,000 |
Remember: These figures cover general damages only. Special damages (financial losses) are added on top, and can significantly increase your total compensation.
What Factors Affect Your NHS Compensation Amount?
Every claim is unique. Several factors influence how much compensation you might receive.
Injury Severity and Permanence
More serious injuries attract higher compensation. A permanent disability will be valued much higher than a temporary injury with full recovery. If you’ve suffered multiple injuries, each is considered.
Impact on Daily Life
How has the injury affected your ability to:
- Work and earn a living?
- Care for yourself and your family?
- Enjoy hobbies and activities?
- Maintain relationships?
Greater impact on quality of life typically means higher compensation.
Recovery Prognosis
Will you fully recover? Partially recover? Or is your condition permanent? The medical prognosis significantly affects valuation. If there’s risk of future deterioration, this is also considered.
Age of Claimant
Younger claimants often receive higher awards because the injury affects them for longer. A 25-year-old losing their career has more years of lost earnings than a 60-year-old.
Financial Losses Incurred
Your actual financial losses are added to general damages. Someone who earned £100,000 per year and can no longer work will receive more in special damages than someone earning minimum wage—even with identical injuries.
Psychological Impact
Mental health conditions resulting from negligence—depression, anxiety, PTSD—are compensated separately or can increase general damages.
NHS Negligence Statistics: What the Data Shows
NHS Resolution publishes annual statistics on clinical negligence claims. The 2024/25 figures reveal the scale of NHS compensation:
Key Statistics
- £3.1 billion paid in total compensation (10% increase from £2.8 billion)
- 14,428 new clinical negligence claims received
- 83% of claims resolved without court proceedings
- GP negligence claims increased by 45% compared to the previous year
- £1.3 billion related to maternity claims alone
Compensation by Medical Department (2024/25)
| Department | Total Compensation |
|---|---|
| Obstetrics (Cerebral Palsy/Brain Damage) | £20.2 billion (cumulative) |
| Paediatrics | £3.4 billion |
| Emergency Medicine | £1.7 billion |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | £677 million |
| Neurosurgery | £654 million |
| Radiology | £483 million |
| General Surgery | £375 million |
| Ambulance | £343 million |
| General Medicine | £336 million |
| Gynaecology | £323 million |
| Psychiatry/Mental Health | £296 million |
These figures demonstrate that NHS compensation claims are common, substantial, and increasingly successful through negotiation rather than court battles.
Types of NHS Negligence Claims Our Calculator Covers
Our calculator estimates compensation for all major types of NHS medical negligence.
Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis
When doctors fail to diagnose your condition correctly—or take too long to diagnose it—your condition can worsen significantly.
Common examples include:
- Cancer diagnosed too late for effective treatment
- Heart attacks mistaken for indigestion or anxiety
- Strokes dismissed as migraines
- Infections missed until they become life-threatening
Surgical Errors
Mistakes during operations can have devastating consequences:
- Wrong-site surgery – Operating on the wrong body part
- Retained instruments – Surgical tools left inside patients
- Nerve damage – Accidental injury during procedures
- Unnecessary surgery – Operations performed without proper indication
- Anaesthetic errors – Wrong dosage or allergic reactions
Surgical “never events” (like wrong-site surgery or retained instruments) typically result in automatic admission of liability.
Birth Injuries
Birth negligence can affect both mother and baby:
- Cerebral palsy from oxygen deprivation during delivery
- Erb’s palsy (brachial plexus injury) from improper delivery technique
- Brain damage from delayed emergency caesarean
- Maternal injuries including severe tears and pelvic floor damage
Birth injury claims often result in the largest payouts because children require lifetime care.
Medication and Prescription Errors
Medication mistakes include:
- Prescribing the wrong drug
- Giving incorrect dosages
- Failing to check for drug interactions
- Ignoring known allergies
- Dispensing errors at pharmacies
GP Negligence
GP errors have increased significantly (45% more claims in 2024/25):
- Failure to refer patients for specialist investigation
- Misreading or ignoring test results
- Delayed referrals for concerning symptoms
- Incomplete medical history reviews
Hospital-Acquired Infections
Infections caught in hospital due to poor hygiene or infection control:
- MRSA
- C. difficile
- Sepsis from inadequate wound care
- Post-surgical wound infections
Emergency Department Negligence
A&E mistakes under pressure:
- Premature discharge of seriously ill patients
- Failure to recognise life-threatening symptoms
- Triage errors
- Delayed treatment
Important Time Limits for NHS Compensation Claims
There are strict deadlines for making NHS compensation claims. Missing them could mean losing your right to claim entirely.
The 3-Year Limitation Period
Under the Limitation Act 1980, you generally have 3 years to start legal proceedings. This deadline runs from:
- The date the negligence occurred, OR
- The “date of knowledge” – when you first knew (or should have known) that something was wrong
The date of knowledge rule helps people with delayed diagnosis cases. You might not discover for years that your symptoms resulted from earlier negligence.
Exceptions to the Time Limit
Children under 18: The 3-year clock doesn’t start until a child’s 18th birthday. A parent or litigation friend can claim on their behalf at any time before then. If no claim is made, the child has until their 21st birthday.
Adults lacking mental capacity: If someone lacks mental capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, there is no time limit while incapacity continues. A litigation friend can claim on their behalf.
Court discretion: In exceptional circumstances, courts can extend time limits under Section 33 of the Limitation Act. They consider whether it’s fair to both parties.
Don’t delay seeking advice. Even if you think time has expired, a solicitor can assess whether exceptions apply to your case.
Your Claim Can Achieve More Than Compensation
NHS Resolution’s behavioural research (surveying 728 past claimants) found that financial compensation is often not the primary motivation for claiming. Many claimants want:
- Prevention – Help stop similar incidents happening to others
- Explanation – Understand exactly what went wrong
- Acknowledgement – Receive recognition that they were let down
- Accountability – Hold the organisation responsible
- Improvement – Contribute to better NHS patient safety
Making a claim triggers investigation. NHS Resolution uses learnings from claims to improve practices across the NHS. Your claim could prevent future patients suffering the same harm.
This matters. Research shows 70% of claimants are motivated by these non-financial factors as much as, or more than, compensation itself.
What Happens After Using Our Calculator?
If your estimate suggests you may have a valid claim, here’s what happens next:
Step 1: Free Consultation
Contact a specialist medical negligence solicitor for a free, no-obligation case review. They’ll assess whether you have a viable claim and explain your options. Most offer this consultation at no cost.
Step 2: Evidence Gathering
If you proceed, your solicitor will:
- Request your medical records (your legal right under UK GDPR)
- Arrange an independent medical expert assessment
- Gather witness statements
- Document your financial losses
This stage typically takes 3-6 months.
Step 3: Letter of Claim
Your solicitor sends a formal Letter of Claim to the NHS Trust. This document outlines:
- What went wrong
- What injuries you suffered
- What losses you’ve incurred
NHS Resolution has 4 months to respond.
Step 4: Investigation and Response
NHS Resolution investigates. They’ll either:
- Admit liability (accept responsibility)
- Deny liability (reject your claim)
- Request more information
Step 5: Negotiation and Settlement
If liability is admitted, negotiations begin. Your solicitor works to agree fair compensation. 83% of claims now settle without court proceedings.
Step 6: Court (If Necessary)
If agreement can’t be reached, court proceedings may be issued. However, most cases still settle before trial. Actual court hearings are rare.
Timeline: Straightforward claims may settle in 12-18 months. Complex cases can take 3-5 years.
Will Claiming Affect My NHS Care?
This is a common concern. The answer is no.
Making a compensation claim will not affect your future NHS treatment in any way. It’s illegal for the NHS to discriminate against patients who have made claims.
Compensation is paid by NHS Resolution, a central government body with its own dedicated fund. The money does not come from:
- Frontline NHS services
- Individual doctors or nurses
- Your local hospital’s budget
Individual healthcare professionals do not pay personally. Liability rests with the NHS Trust as an organisation.
You have every right to claim compensation without fear of affecting your care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this NHS compensation calculator accurate?
Our calculator provides estimates based on Judicial College Guidelines (17th Edition, April 2024) with inflation adjustment for 2026. These are the same guidelines solicitors and courts use. However, actual compensation depends on your individual circumstances. For an accurate assessment, consult a specialist medical negligence solicitor.
How much does the NHS pay out for negligence?
NHS Resolution paid £3.1 billion in compensation during 2024/25. Individual payouts range from a few thousand pounds for minor injuries to over £20 million for catastrophic cases like severe cerebral palsy requiring lifetime care.
What is the average NHS negligence payout?
There’s no meaningful “average” because claims vary enormously. Minor injuries may receive £3,000-£20,000. Moderate injuries £20,000-£100,000. Severe life-changing injuries can exceed £1 million. The highest payouts (£10-37 million) involve children with severe brain damage requiring lifetime care.
Do I need a solicitor to claim NHS compensation?
While not legally required, specialist medical negligence solicitors significantly improve your chances of success. They understand the complex medical and legal issues involved, have access to expert witnesses, and know how to negotiate with NHS Resolution. Most work on No Win No Fee arrangements, meaning you pay nothing unless you win.
How long do NHS compensation claims take?
- Straightforward claims (liability admitted quickly): 12-18 months
- Moderate complexity: 18-36 months
- Complex cases (disputed liability): 3-5 years
- Catastrophic injury cases: 5+ years (to establish prognosis)
NHS Resolution reports that 83% of claims are resolved without court proceedings.
Can I claim if the negligence happened years ago?
Possibly. The standard limit is 3 years, but this can run from your “date of knowledge”—when you discovered the negligence caused your harm. Exceptions also apply for children (time runs from 18th birthday) and people lacking mental capacity (no limit). Always seek legal advice to check your specific situation.
Will a doctor lose their job if I claim?
Not necessarily. Compensation claims are about financial redress, not disciplining individuals. Professional conduct is a separate matter handled by the General Medical Council (GMC). However, patterns of negligence identified through claims may trigger professional reviews.
Can I claim for a loved one who died?
Yes. Next of kin can bring fatal negligence claims under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. Claims can include:
- Bereavement damages (fixed at £15,120)
- Dependency claims for financial loss
- Estate claims for suffering before death
- Funeral expenses
What evidence do I need?
Essential evidence includes:
- Medical records
- Detailed account of what happened
- Financial documents (payslips, receipts, invoices)
- Photographs of injuries
- Independent medical expert report
Your solicitor will help gather all necessary evidence.
Do I have to go to court?
Usually not. Around 83% of NHS clinical negligence claims settle without court proceedings through negotiation and mediation. Court is a last resort when parties cannot agree on compensation.
Why Use Our NHS Compensation Calculator?
Our calculator offers several advantages:
- Based on official guidelines – Uses Judicial College Guidelines, the same source solicitors use
- Updated for 2026 – Inflation-adjusted figures for current accuracy
- Comprehensive coverage – 13 injury categories, 50+ specific injuries
- Complete calculation – Includes both general and special damages
- Completely free – No cost, no hidden charges
- Confidential – No contact details required
- Instant results – Get your estimate in minutes
- No obligation – Use the information however you wish
Get Your Free Estimate Now
If you’ve suffered harm due to NHS negligence, you deserve to know what your claim could be worth. Our NHS compensation calculator gives you a confidential, instant estimate based on the same guidelines solicitors use.
Understanding your potential compensation is the first step toward getting the support you need. Whether you decide to pursue a claim or simply want information, our calculator is here to help.
Your experience matters. Your suffering has value. And you have the right to seek answers.
Use the calculator above to get your free estimate now.