The low down
For the public, former Tory chancellor Nigel Lawson once observed, the National Health Service is the closest thing the country has to a religion. And the NHS is, indeed, many things to many people – from Europe’s single largest employer to a fiercely contested political battlefield. It is also under-resourced and, in dealing with Covid-19, has come close to breaking point. That cocktail of public devotion and periodic cash crises makes for a complex relationship between error and responsibility. Political leaders rail against the funds spent on medical negligence cases. Yet there is scant evidence of lawyers or clients ‘taking advantage’ of the pandemic to bring claims against the Covid-battered NHS. And if ‘no-fault’ compensation replaced legal battles, the ultimate bill would be higher.
Austin American-Statesman Letters to the editor: July 22, 2021 statesman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from statesman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Want to read more?
We value our content and access to our full site is only available with a subscription. Your subscription entitles you to 7-day-a-week access to our website, plus a full digital copy of that week’s paper to read on your pc/mac or mobile device. In addition, your subscription includes access to digital archive copies from 2006 onwards.
Just want to read one issue? No problem you can subscribe for just one week (or longer if you wish).
Already a subscriber?
A powerful and emotional musical tribute with dancers spanning the length of Britain has been unveiled in memory of Manchester Arena victim Eilidh MacLeod to support the work of the music education charity set up in her memory.
Eilidh MacLeod: Dance tribute to Scottish victim of Manchester Arena attack unveiled thenational.scot - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenational.scot Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Want to read more?
At the start of the pandemic in March we took the decision to make online access to our news free of charge by taking down our paywall. At a time where accurate information about Covid-19 was vital to our community, this was the right decision – even though it meant a drop in our income. In order to help safeguard the future of our journalism, the time has now come to reinstate our paywall, However,
rest assured that access to all Covid related news will still remain free.
To access all other news will require a subscription, as it did pre-pandemic. The good news is that for the whole of December we will be running a special discounted offer to get 3 months access for the price of one month. Thank you for supporting us during this incredibly challenging time.