A rise in workplace violence and safety failures over the past five years has seen £190.9 million spent to resolve personal injury and accident claims.
The NHS in England has spent £190.9 million over the past five years to resolve personal injury and accident claims brought by its own staff.
The figures, obtained via Freedom of Information requests to NHS Resolution and the Liability to Third Parties Scheme (LTPS) – the NHS staff insurance pool – by Accident Claims Advice, reveal the physical risks faced by healthcare workers between 2020-2021 and 2024-2025, with slips, workplace violence and severe safety failures all proving to be repeated themes.
As of April this year, the NHS has paid £98.97 million in direct damages to injured employees across successfully settled claims. The total cost to the taxpayer, however, is much higher. Settled claims where staff successfully won compensation saw £86.7 million spent purely on legal fees. That breaks down to £19.1 million covering the NHS’s own legal defence costs and £67.44 million covering the claimants’ legal costs.
Meanwhile, fees were also racked up by successfully defended claims, with £5.3 million spent on NHS legal costs and £144,055 going towards claimants’ legal costs.
That amounts to £190.9 million paid out so far during the period so far. That figure could yet increase as more claims are closed.
“Hospitals and healthcare facilities should be environments of safety and healing, but this data shows an alarming reality for the people keeping our health service afloat,” said Patrick Mallon, head of workplace accident claims at Accident Claims Advice.
Workplace dangers
The overwhelming majority of successful staff compensation costs stem from a persistent trio of systemic workplace dangers.
Slips and trips are the leading cause of staff injury, accounting for 1,763 successful claims submitted over the five-year timeframe. These incidents cost the NHS £25.8 million in damages alone.
Meanwhile, a severe safety crisis is unfolding on the frontline, with 1,021 successful claims lodged by staff members who were victims of assault in the workplace. This saw a total damages payout of £18.1 million.
Workplace-related mental health issues also proved incredibly costly to settle, as claims for stress cost the NHS £8.8 million in damages across the period.
Inevitably, larger NHS trusts are at a higher risk of incident, and so naturally report higher figures. Over the five-year period, University Hospitals Birmingham registered the highest volume of staff injury claims with 210, also factoring in a £2.6 million total payout in damages. It was followed by Mersey Care, which racked up 194 claims and paid out £2.3 million in damages.
“Diverting more than £190 million away from patient care to fund injury damages and legal battles is a tragedy for an already cash-strapped service. Frontline staff have a legal right to a safe environment, and if trusts fail to provide it, workers must continue to use the legal system to protect their health and livelihoods,” said Mallon.
