The NHSLA Finance & IT departments play key roles in supporting the efficient handling of negligence claims against the NHS, being responsible for setting members’ contributions, processing payments and maintaining the Authority’s information and comminication systems.

In line with the Department of Health’s Information Governance Assurance programme, the Authority has reviewed and revised its methods for securely transmitting information.  In September 2009 the NHSLA went live with the use of its newly developed Document Transfer system, (DTS), one of a number of Information Security initiatives the Authority has taken forward during the 2009/10 financial year.  

The DTS system allows the Authority and indeed any organisation it communicates with, the ability to securely share/transfer information, without the risks associated with the use of email.

The Authority envisages much more extensive use of its DTS system as it continues to work towards further streamlining it business processes.The only system requirement from a user perspective is MS Internet Explorer 6 or above. The DTS system is intuitive and easy to use however, guidance notes are available on  request. 

If you experience any problems or difficulties, please contact the Authority’s Helpdesk team who will liaise with your IT department to resolve any issues on your behalf. 

Members’ contributions for the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) and the Risk Pooling Schemes for Trusts (RPST) are assessed actuarially each year with the total amount collected from members equating to the anticipated expenditure in the following year, ie we operate on a “pay as you go” basis. CNST contributions are based upon a range of factors, including the type of trust, the specialties it provides and the number of “whole time equivalent” clinical staff it employs. This information is now obtained via the Health and Social Care Information Centre using data which trusts supply to them as part of the annual medical staff census. This minimises the need for us to collect data directly from members.

Data for the LTPS/PES contributions are similarly collected on an annual basis from the Information Centre (Monitor for Foundation trusts). The data used to complete this exercise relate to information on assets and staffing.

Annual Report and our Factsheet 2 provide detailed information about the NHSLA’s expenditure.