Sexual safety incidents rise at University Hospitals of North Midlands, FOI reveals

Sexual abuse is on the rise inside University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust, with almost 50 incidents recorded in the most recent year.

According to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, two dozen employees were disciplined in relation to a sexual offence between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Of those, just a third (8) were dismissed.

The Trust, which runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford Hospital, recorded a total of 45 sexual safety incidents in 2024/25. All of those incidents took place on trust premises. Five of those cases involved patients alleging that NHS workers sexually abused them while they were under the trust’s care.

The Rising Trend at UHNM

There has been a disturbing year-on-year rise in sexual safety incidents taking place at the trust:

• 2022/23: 9 allegations filed
• 2023/24: 28 allegations filed
• 2024/25: 45 allegations filed

In total, 73 incidents were recorded over the three-year period, with 61% of all allegations occurring in the most recent financial year.

National Context

Concerns about sexual safety in NHS hospitals are not confined to Staffordshire. Similar FOI disclosures revealed high incident rates elsewhere:

• Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust: 77 sexual assaults over three years, including the rape of a patient.
• The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: 99 sexual offences recorded in the last three years.

National evidence suggests that sexual misconduct in medicine is widespread and often under-reported due to power imbalances. A recent analysis of Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) decisions found that nearly a quarter of all tribunal cases in a single year involved sexual misconduct.

“What these disclosures show is a pattern that can no longer be dismissed as isolated wrongdoing. Healthcare environments place enormous trust in professionals, and when that trust is abused the impact on victims can be profound and long-lasting.

“There must be robust, survivor-centred reporting processes, independent oversight and consequences that genuinely reflect the seriousness of these behaviours.”

— Ellie Lamey, CICA specialist at Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice

Reporting and Support

Surveys across the medical profession show that more than half of those experiencing sexual harassment or assault do not report it—often due to fear of retaliation or the belief that no action will be taken.

Experts are calling for mandatory trauma-informed training, clearer reporting pathways, and stronger protections for whistleblowers to ensure these offences are treated with the necessary seriousness.

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice offers expert legal support. Affected individuals can book a free consultation or call their 24-hour helpline via their website:sexualabusecompensationadvice.org.uk