Published • loading... • Updated
NHS staff get 'landmark' payout over gas exposure
The settlement follows an independent finding that the trust delayed action for more than a year after dangers were identified.
- Over 120 maternity staff, including 85 midwives at Basildon University Hospital, received £735,000 in compensation for dangerous nitrous oxide exposure, following legal action led by Thompsons Solicitors.
- Poor ventilation and leaking gas lines at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust exposed staff to levels up to 30 times the legal limit between 2021 and 2023, with test results concealed for 16 months.
- Staff reported fatigue, headaches, "brain fog," and anxiety; an independent review by the Good Governance Institute found the trust's response constituted an "unacceptable delay" in treating high gas levels as significant risk.
- Louise Crosby, Chief Nursing and Quality Officer for the trust, apologized and said they "should have acted faster," while Royal College of Midwives chief Gill Walton called the settlement "landmark."
- The Government is investing £271 million to address maternity safety risks across the NHS, while the RCM has contacted every NHS trust in England warning of nitrous oxide dangers.
Insights by Ground AI
15 Articles
15 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution58% Center
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources are Center
58% Center
L 25%
C 58%
R 17%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
