Basildon maternity staff receive £735,000 payout over gas exposure
The settlement covers 121 claims after staff were exposed to excessive nitrous oxide at the Essex hospital.
Maternity staff at Basildon Hospital have secured £735,000 in settlements after bringing claims over excessive workplace exposure to nitrous oxide. NHS Resolution confirmed that 121 claims had been settled, while some cases remain outstanding.
The claims were brought by staff at the Essex hospital’s maternity unit, including 85 midwives. The Royal College of Midwives said the case was the largest group legal action involving midwives in the UK.
Nitrous oxide, also known as Entonox or gas and air, is used to provide pain relief during labour. The staff said they experienced symptoms including fatigue, headaches, anxiety and difficulty concentrating after working in the unit for extended periods.
An internal report found that some workers had been exposed to concentrations up to 30 times the workplace exposure limit between 2021 and 2023. Staff were not told for 16 months that test results showed exposure levels had exceeded safety thresholds.
The settlement follows earlier scrutiny of the trust’s handling of the issue. A Care Quality Commission report said staff had not been informed about a nitrous oxide concern and described weaknesses in how safety risks were managed.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust apologised and said it should have acted faster. It said oversight of medical-gas monitoring had been improved and that scavenger equipment had been installed in the maternity unit.
The settlement resolves compensation claims; it does not by itself establish that every reported symptom was caused by nitrous oxide exposure. The RCM said one claim was still unresolved, and the available reports do not provide a national assessment of similar cases.
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The central settlement and safety-history claims are supported by BBC reporting and regulatory material. Medical effects are carefully attributed and no personal treatment conclusion is drawn.
- confirmed NHS Resolution confirmed 121 settled claims totalling £735,000, with some claims still outstanding. — Reported statement from NHS Resolution in the BBC article. source
- confirmed The 121 claimants included 85 midwives. — Reported in the BBC account of the settlement. source
- confirmed Some staff were exposed to levels up to 30 times the workplace exposure limit between 2021 and 2023. — The current report cites the hospital’s internal report; earlier BBC reporting also records exposure above the limit. source
- confirmed Staff were not told for 16 months about test results showing excessive exposure. — Reported in the current BBC article and reflected in CQC findings. source
- confirmed The trust apologised, improved monitoring and installed scavenger equipment. — Statement attributed to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. source
Editor's note
The settlement amount, number of claims and trust response are confirmed by the reported NHS Resolution statement. Reported symptoms are attributed to the claimants and are not presented as proof of individual medical causation.Sources
- NHS staff get 'landmark' payout over gas exposure — BBC News
- Basildon University Hospital HTML report: Well-led — Care Quality Commission
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