Ministers have been substantially blamed for the failings of the consultant contract, negotiated in 2003, with
the NAO claiming the Department of Health (DoH) under - estimated the work consultants do.
The timing of the
Department of Health's long - awaited consultation Introducing Fixed Recoverable Costs in Lower Value Clinical Negligence
Claims raised more than a few eyebrows when it was launched at the end of January, not least because the consultation will open and close before the National Audit Office's (
NAO) investigation into the operations and efficiencies of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) will report its findings.