HSE staff paid over €1.3m for work accidents

HSE workers were paid more than €1.3m in compensation last year for workplace accidents.

New figures show that the taxpayer-funded State Claims Agency handed out the significant sum to an undisclosed number of doctors, nurses, and other staff in 2012.

The payments were made to employees who sustained injuries during the course of their work.

While no specific details were provided, previous incidents have included infections, needle injuries relating to patients with serious blood illnesses, and, in some cases, physical assaults.

The SCA refused to confirm how many employees were affected by the incidents, despite this information being requested by the trade newspaper Medical Independent.

Requests for further details on where exactly the incidents occurred and what they specifically involved were also turned down.

Figures revealed last October showed that hospital-related accidents involving both staff and patients cost the taxpayer €222,475 a day in 2011.

In all, 85,918 adverse medical incidents occurred in hospitals that year, according to the latest full annual figures, costing the taxpayer €81m and meaning an issue occurred every six minutes.

The mistakes included thousands of diagnosis, medication, child birth, and surgery problems.

While the rate was considered “in line” with international data, the €81m cost in 2011 was €2m more than in 2010, and almost double the €47m rate in 2009.

At the time the 2011 figures were released, the HSE said the rise was due in part to improved error reporting and the inclusion of new figures, such as health service road traffic accidents.

The SCA is the body responsible for overseeing personal injury claims and third-party property damage risks against state authorities.

In Jan 2010, the SCA’s remit was expanded to also include the management of HSE non-clinical personal injury and third-party property damage claims, as well as injuries to employees.