Midwives awarded £750,000 for nitrous oxide exposure

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 00:20 · Archive

Over 120 midwives at Basildon University Hospital have been awarded almost £750,000 compensation for exposure to dangerous levels of nitrous oxide.

More than 120 midwives and maternity workers at Basildon University Hospital have been awarded almost £750,000 in compensation for exposure to high levels of nitrous oxide between 2021 and 2023. Nitrous oxide is the main component of gas and air, routinely used for labour pain relief and safe for women giving birth, but long-term exposure can cause serious side effects.

Poor ventilation on the maternity unit and leaking gas lines exposed staff to dangerous levels of the gas. Midwives reported symptoms including fatigue, headaches, brain fog and anxiety. Thompsons Solicitors took legal action on behalf of more than 120 workers, including roughly 80 members of the Royal College of Midwives.

Daniel Poet, partner and disease specialist at Thompsons Solicitors, said: 'We're proud to have secured compensation for our clients, but they should never have been put at risk in the first place.' He added that the trust knew about the dangers in 2021, but staff were not told until the following year and it took another year for safety measures to be introduced. An independent review by the Good Governance Institute found there was an 'unacceptable delay' by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in responding to concerns about the gas.

How it is being reported

• NHS staff get 'landmark' payout over gas exposureThe settlement follows the largest group legal action brought by midwives in the UK, says union.BBC News · 13 Oct, 01:22
• No laughing matter: Midwives win £750,000 after being exposed to nitrous oxide at hospitalThe compound, known as laughing gas, is used for pain relief in labour, but long-term exposure has side-effects.Daily Mail · 13 Oct, 00:58
• Midwives win £750,000 in compensation for dangerous exposure to laughing gasMore than 120 midwives at Basildon University Hospital were awarded the settlementThe Independent · 13 Oct, 00:01
• Midwives win £750,000 settlement over nitrous oxide exposureThe compound is the main component in gas and air, widely used for pain relief in labour.Evening Standard · 13 Oct, 00:01

In this story: Basildon University Hospital · Royal College of Midwives · Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust · Thompsons Solicitors · Good Governance Institute

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