NHS staff injury payouts top £190,000 in Rotherham
ROTHERHAM NHS Foundation Trust shelled out a total of £190,875 in direct damages to injured healthcare workers after receiving 43 claims over the past five years, according to new research.
More than £2.6million in total has been paid out by NHS trusts based in South Yorkshire according to the figures, obtained via Freedom of Information requests to NHS Resolution by Accident Claims Advice.
Data from the Liability to Third Parties Scheme – the NHS staff insurance pool – reveals that between 2020/21 and 2024/25, thousands of workers successfully sued their employers after being left injured, assaulted, or traumatised by events in the workplace.
As of April 2026, the data shows the total cost of workplace injury claims across the whole of England surpassed £190m between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
A spokesperson for Accident Claims Advice said a total of £2,675,363 was paid out in damages across South Yorkshire between 2020/21 and 2024/25 – with Rotherham “ranking slightly lower in payouts” compared with other healthcare trusts in the region.
Nationally, over the five-year period, University Hospitals Birmingham registered the highest volume of staff injury claims with 210 and a £2,570,672 total payout in damages.
Slips and trips are the leading cause of staff injury nationally, while frontline staff members who were victims of assault in the workplace took the second spot.
Commenting on the national data, Patrick Mallon, head of workplace accident claims at Accident Claims Advice, said: "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.
“To see more than 1,000 healthcare workers sue the NHS after being assaulted or falling on the job points to a systemic failure of basic workplace protection.”
Daniel Hartley, director of people at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The safety and wellbeing of our colleagues is of utmost importance to us.
“The figures quoted cover a number of years and reflect incidents occurring across a complex healthcare environment across a number of sites.
“We are committed to continuously improving safety, including reducing risks such as slips, trips and violence, through training and awareness, introduction of body-worn cameras, risk assessments and ongoing investment in safer working environments."