“Gratuitous care claims” could be the next emerging compensation trend to put pressure on the resources of the public sector, warned Alarm, the National Forum for Risk Management in the Public Sector.
It said claims for gratuitous care, which relate to the need for nursing services to be provided to injured parties, were becoming increasingly common.
If a relative provided such nursing services, a claim could be made seeking to recover the costs of this voluntary care. This could include loss of wages or perceived worth of extra care provided, said Alarm.
It warned public sector organisations to increase their awareness of gratuitous claims and consider the potential resources which could be required to deal with an increase in this type of claim.
Although many claims of this nature have so far been against commercial organisations, there is a considerable risk that the trend may spill over into the public sector, warned the organisation.
It said there is also a concern that an increased range of claim types could pave the way for an increase in fraudulent claims, a risk that is estimated to cost the public sector £1bn per year.
