We're here to help you make your needle stick injury claim
Needle stick injuries can occur when coming into contact with a used needle or other medical instrument, such as a scalpel. It is something that shouldn't be taken lightly because it has the potential to spread Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and other blood-born diseases.
If you work in healthcare, you expect all your colleagues to take the necessary precautions and dispose of used sharp equipment properly. But needle stick injuries do still occur at work sometimes. NHS Resolution had 1,947 successful claims made against it for such injuries between 2012-2022, costing the NHS £10.8 million. There's a chance that many others go unreported too.
The effects of a needle stick injury range from mild to major, but no amount of physical or psychological suffering because of someone else's negligence is acceptable.
If you'd like to talk to us about how we could help, simply give us a call on or request a call back from one of our friendly advisors.
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Ashleigh Meredith
Operations Claims Team Manager
Ashleigh makes sure the claims experience for our new customers is always smooth and accurate - first time, every time.
View profileMeet the teamWhat can lead to a needle stick injury at work?
There are a few reasons why a workplace needlestick injury could occur:
- You or other members of staff were not given the correct training to deal with sharps.
- Your employer didn't provide you with the right PPE.
- Someone at work asked you to do something you weren't trained to do, like needle disposal.
- The sharps bins were too full.
If you have any evidence that shows there was a circumstance such as the above behind your accident, this will be a valuable way to support your needle stick injury claim.
Employers must comply with The Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013, which provide outlines on the use and disposal of medical sharps.
Am I eligible to make a needle stick injury claim?
If you can show that the needle stick injury you sustained at work was the result of someone else's negligence, it's worth speaking to one of our friendly advisors. It will be helpful if you can provide an account of the physical and psychological toll your injury has taken on you.
Once they have listened to your account of what happened and how it affected you, they should be able to tell you if they think you've got valid grounds for a claim.
Do needlestick injuries just occur in the medical profession?
Although medical workers most commonly seek compensation for needle stick injuries, others sometimes make accidental contact with a misplaced or improperly disposed of sharp tool too. For example, you may be a refuse collector or a cleaner who has made contact with an overflowing bin. Tattoo artists also deal with needles in their jobs daily, so may be at risk. You may even wish to claim on behalf of a child who has had to deal with a needlestick injury after touching a misplaced used needle.
Regardless of your role or job title, you could claim compensation if you've suffered a needle stick injury that wasn't your fault.
How much compensation could I get for a needlestick injury?
It's natural to wonder what the average compensation amount for a needlestick injury might be before deciding whether or not to make a claim. If successful, your compensation will be determined based on how it has affected you and what additional costs the consequences have presented you with.
Compensation is split into two categories:
- Special damages: This refers to the monetary losses your injury has caused you, such as medical expenses, loss of earnings, and travel costs.
- General damages: This refers to the physical and psychological suffering that the injury has caused you.
Our specialists will use the recommendations for compensation amounts outlined in the latest Judicial College Guidelines (part of the Ministry of Justice) when calculating how much your needle stick injury compensation could be.
Each case is unique, so we need to look at all the individual circumstances behind what happened to you. If we decide to take your case on, your needle stick injury lawyer will listen to you carefully and do all they can to help you secure compensation.
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What evidence do I need to support my needle stick injury claim?
Any evidence you can provide us with can support your case. For example, the following would be very helpful:
- The date and time of your injury.
- A copy of the accident report that your workplace should have made.
- Photographic evidence of your injury close to the time it occurred.
- Any correspondence with the party who potentially left you vulnerable to a contaminated sharp object.
- The name and details of anyone who witnessed the accident.
- Medical records and information from any GP, minor injuries unit or hospital that treated your injury.
- Evidence of any ongoing costs that are related to your injury, such as medical costs, travel expenses and a loss of earnings.
A workplace must report this type of accident to the HSE if it meets certain criteria, which may in turn refer it for independent investigation. If this has happened, telling us about the investigation could further strengthen your case.
We'd recommend that you don't leave it too long to start a claim after your injury. It's beneficial to get started while the memory and the evidence are still fresh.
Frequently asked questions...
Yes, there is a time limit for making an injury claim. Under most circumstances, you will have three years from the date of the accident to make a compensation claim.
Every claim we handle is different and that makes it hard for us to say how long your compensation claim might take. However, the bulk of the claims we handle are relatively short in duration.
In simpler cases where fault is clear and undeniable, the claim may be settled quickly, and even disputed claims can be negotiated to a settlement in approximately 12 months.
However, if you've suffered a serious or life-changing injury then your compensation claim may take longer. This is because we need to understand its full impact and make sure your future rehab or treatment costs are adequately covered.
You can rest assured that we will stay in touch with you throughout the process so that you'll always know how things are progressing.
In cases where the injured person was under 18 years of age when the accident or incident occurred, the three-year period expires on their 21st birthday.
If you don't issue your claim within those time limits, you won't usually be able to proceed. This is called being 'time-barred'. Extensions to the time limits are only available in exceptional circumstances and we can talk you though these if they're relevant to your claim.
Speak to our needle stick injury lawyers
If you've had a needle stick injury and it wasn't your fault, it can have some distressing effects on you. We may be able to help you get a compensation payout to help you cope.
When you're ready to talk to someone about how your injury has impacted your life, you can simply get in touch with us for free and impartial advice. Give us a call on , request a call back at a time that suits you, or get your claim started online.