FLEET insurance bills could soar as NHS trusts recoup up to £100 million they are owed each year for treating innocent road accident victims - hammering home the importance of driver training for fleets to keep down premiums. Specialist firms have begun targeting hospitals to help them claim back millions in care costs and fleets which have a poor accident record are being warned this could lead to their insurance premiums surging to cover the bills received from victims of poor driving.

Hospitals have been entitled to the cash for more than a decade, but over-stretched trusts do not have the resources to demand money from the guilty party's insurers, currently only reclaiming £10 million, but they have been ordered by the Government to increase their recovery of costs from insurance companies. One of the firms at the cutting edge of the new market helping NHS Trusts is Angel Assistance, part of the Helphire Group, which represents two hospitals, in Bournemouth and Bath, and is in talks with 20 more.

It approaches innocent victims of road crashes needing hospital treatment and offers to help them claim the cost of treatment on the hospitals' behalf. The Angel Assistance team includes doctors and nurses in key management positions who understand how NHS Trusts work and fully appreciate the need for sensitivity and confidentiality when dealing with accident victims.