Basildon Hospital Staff Sue NHS Trust Over Nitrous Oxide Exposure, Citing Fatigue and Anxiety
More than 100 maternity staff, including midwives and healthcare assistants, have initiated legal proceedings against the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust. The action follows their alleged exposure to hazardous levels of nitrous oxide at Basildon Hospital in Essex from 2018 to 2023.
Symptoms reported by the 141 claimants include fatigue, anxiety, persistent headaches, and impaired cognitive function. The NHS Trust has already disbursed £89,000 in settlements, acknowledging that staff were exposed to “excessive and foreseeably dangerous” levels of Entonox, commonly known as gas and air.
The Trust has offered an apology, stating it “should have acted faster to address the issues”. Entonox, a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen, is utilised for pain relief during childbirth. Elevated levels can accumulate rapidly in inadequately ventilated spaces. Court filings indicate that the gas was released from cannisters, during patient exhalation, and through faulty equipment on maternity units.
An internal hospital report documented that maternity staff faced gas levels as high as 30 times the permissible workplace exposure limit. One unnamed claimant described the experience as being “poisoned”, leading to widespread anger among colleagues. She detailed suffering from “chronic fatigue, constant headaches, low vitamin B12, which was subsequently causing things like heart palpitations and very foggy heads”.
Further claims detail a midwife collapsing at work due to symptoms including headaches, low mood, and anxiety, alongside another claimant experiencing pain in her hands and feet. The women are seeking personal injury damages exceeding £1,500. Evidence also suggests staff were not informed for 16 months about test results that confirmed breaches of safety limits.
In 2024, the Trust conceded “unacceptable delays in responding to and mitigating a serious risk”. Denise Townsend, the acting chief nursing officer for the Trust, stated, “Since the incident we have learnt lessons and part of this is that we have improved our oversight of the monitoring of medical gases across the maternity unit at Basildon Hospital.” Equipment to remove nitrous oxide from the air has reportedly since been installed. Similar issues with high nitrous oxide levels have been reported in other NHS Trusts across England. The case is scheduled for its next hearing in July.
