More than £350,000 has been paid out in direct damages to injured healthcare workers by NHS Trusts based in Dorset over the past five years.
The figures, obtained via Freedom of Information requests to NHS Resolution by Accident Claims Advice, expose the physical risks faced by healthcare workers.
Data from the Liability to Third Parties Scheme (LTPS) – 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 that the total cost of workplace injury claims across the whole of England has surpassed £190m between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
Payouts across Dorset
Dorset HealthCare shelled out the largest portion with a significant payout of £190,071 in damages to its workers.
This sum came from a total of just 14 claims submitted to the trust over the five-year period.
Meanwhile University Hospitals Dorset stumped up £169,433 after receiving 30 claims over the same timeframe.
That comes to a total of 359,504 paid out in damages across the Dorset region between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
The national picture
The figures, as of April 2026, show that the NHS has handed out £98.97 million in direct damages to injured employees across successfully settled claims.
The total financial hit to the taxpayer is vastly higher than direct payouts alone, however, as settled claims where staff won compensation saw £86.56 million spent purely on legal fees.
This breaks down to £19.12 million covering the NHS’s own legal defence costs and £67.44 million covering the claimants’ legal costs.
Meanwhile, fees racked up by successfully-defended claims cost £5.26m for the NHS, with £144,055 going towards claimants’ legal costs.
This brings the grand total paid out across England to £190,935,714 between 2020/21 and 2024/25, a figure that could yet increase as more claims are closed.
The most expensive workplace hazards facing NHS staff
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 £25,771,768 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 £18,105,467 between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
Workplace-related mental health issues also proved incredibly costly to settle, as claims for stress cost the NHS £8,844,569 in damages across the period.
Worst-affected NHS trusts
Inevitably, larger NHS trusts are at more risk of incident, and so naturally report higher figures. The following figures relate to claims that have been closed between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
Over the five-year period, University Hospitals Birmingham registered the highest volume of staff injury claims with 210, also factoring in a £2,570,672 total payout in damages.
Closely following behind was Mersey Care, which racked up 194 claims and paid out £2,268,202 in damages.
Manchester University also saw large numbers, with 182 claims received and a total of £1,598,228 paid out in damages.
Meanwhile, Northern Care Alliance paid out £1,112,416 in damages over the five years, with 162 claims received by the trust during that period.
Rounding out the five busiest trusts, Liverpool University Hospitals received 158 claims and shelled out £1,044,867 in damages.
However, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust paid out the highest total for damages, totalling £3.02 million (£3,019,704) across 44 claims.
‘Systemic Failures on the Frontline,’ warns expert
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.
“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.”
