West Midlands NHS trusts pay out £1 million compensation over health and safety issues
NHS trusts in the Black Country paid out more than £1 million in compensation last year due to staff and hospital visitors being injured or put at risk.
Research by law firm Nockolds Solicitors found the average payout by NHS trusts in England over the 2017/18 financial year was £158,219 – but some trusts ended up forking out more than £1 million each.
It said routine breaches of the duty of care the NHS owes to its staff and hospital visitors often get overlooked because of the focus on compensation for medical negligence.
The details have come from freedom of information requests to all 232 trusts in England.
The Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust paid out the most in the Midlands, £572,342, followed by the West Midlands Ambulance Service with £351,431.
Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust paid £176,905, while Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust paid £131,023 in compensation. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust paid £110,925 and £19,226 respectively.
Elsewhere in England, NHS trusts paying more than £1 million included North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (£1,076,909) and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (£1,009,306).
Aggregate
Trusts paying out more than £600,000 included The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (£771,925), Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (£672,579) and Barts Health NHS Trust (£632,306).
In total last year the 232 trusts paid out a total of £34,966,393 to settle employers’ liability, public liability, property damage and theft claims.
Nockolds said this amount does not include claimant or defence legal costs and is simply the aggregate sum paid to claimants as a result of hospitals failing to provide adequate safeguards for staff and members of the public.
Examples of employers’ liability claims include slips, trips and falls, accidents caused by defective equipment and as a result of insufficient training or supervision.
Public liability claims include hospital visitors slipping, tripping or falling within hospital grounds or public areas.
Rachel Davis, personal injury specialist at Nockolds Solicitors, said: “Accidents happen but they should not be happening on this scale.
“Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff have the right to work in a safe environment while members of the public should not be at risk of injury during routine visits to family and friends.”
