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Personal Injury News

NHS accidents 'up 27,000 in one year'

Accidents in the NHS lead to staff shortages and increased workloads which harm the service to patients, according to a committee of MPs.

Falls, injuries caused by needles and other equipment, stress in the workplace and other accidents have increased in England in the last year, the Public Accounts Committee said.

Chairman Edward Leigh said there was a clear need for a national health and safety strategy in the NHS, which employs more than one million people.

The committee's report - Improving Management Of Health And Safety Risks To Staff In NHS Trusts - called for a national strategy which would co-ordinate existing and new initiatives to tackle safety in the workplace.

The MPs noted that the number of reported accidents among NHS staff increased to 135,172 in 2001-02 compared with 108,743 in 2000-01.

The committee said while NHS trusts had improved their accident reporting system, there was a "lack of consistency" in identifying and recording incidents.

The committee said that only 42% of accidents which trusts were required to report to the HSE by law were actually reported.

They also highlighted the need for a strategy to deal with the risk of injuries and infections caused by needles.

The committee also highlighted a number of examples where large compensation payments were made due to accidents in the workplace.

Ananova: Wednesday 15th October 2003