By Jo Anderson. Last Updated 13th December 2023. If you’ve been pricked by a needle, you naturally may worry about the consequences. In this guide, we look at how to claim compensation for a needlestick infection injury.
If you’ve suffered such an injury at work or while using a public space, you could be entitled to make a personal injury claim. If you’d like to enquire about making a personal injury compensation claim, you can call us for free. You can reach us by:
- Calling 0800 073 8801
- Or you can speak with us now via our live chat box
Advice on needlestick injury claims
Select A Section
- The Criteria For Claiming Compensation For A Needlestick Infection Injury
- How Can Needlestick Infection Injuries Happen?
- What Are The Consequences Of A Needle Stick Injury?
- How To Begin A Needlestick Or Syringe Injury Compensation Claim
- I Had A Needlestick Injury In A Public Place – Who Can I Claim Against?
- I Had A Needlstick Injury At Work – Could I Make A Claim?
- How Much Compensation Could I Get For A Needlstick Infection Injury?
- No Win No Fee Neddlestick Infection Injury Claims
- Learn More About Claiming Compensation For A Needlestick Infection Injury
The Criteria For Claiming Compensation For A Needlestick Infection Injury
If you are considering making a needlestick infection injury claim, you will need to know about the eligibility criteria. To be eligible to make a claim, you would have to prove that:
- A third party had a duty of care towards you.
- That they breached this duty of care.
- Because of this, you suffered avoidable harm.
A needlestick injury is when a person accidentally is injured by a used needle. This could happen in several places for example while at work in a hospital, or while walking down a public path.
There is also a limitation period that would apply to needlestick injury claims. Under the Limitation Act 1980, you would typically have three years to start a claim. This can begin on the date you suffered harm, or the date of knowledge.
There are some exceptions to this rule; to learn more, contact our team of advisors. Or, read on to learn more about making a needlestick injury claim.
How Can Needlestick Infection Injuries Happen?
There are several ways in which needlestick infection injuries could occur. Examples could include:
- Needles being left out instead of being disposed of correctly – someone could mistakenly put their hand on the sharp end of a needle.
- Unsafe tattoo practices – It is essential for tattooists to practice good hygiene and sterilise their needles.
- Lack of care when administering medicines via injection – this could lead to people suffering needlestick injuries.
- A slip, trip or fall while holding a needle – This could lead to someone being injured.
There are specific procedures that people handling needles should follow to reduce the risk of sharps injuries and infections that result from them. However, in some healthcare settings, time pressures and long shifts can result in a lack of focus, leading to mistakes.
If you have suffered a needlestick injury and would like to know whether you could be eligible for compensation, contact a member of our advisory team. They can also answer any questions you may have about syringe compensation claims.
What Are The Consequences Of A Needlestick Injury?
The consequences of a needle stick injury can be severe. Not only does this relate to the physical injuries and symptoms that are associated with a needlestick, but the psychological impact as well. Needlestick injuries can have a severe impact on an individual’s life, causing an extensive amount of stress. This could lead to time off work. It is important to note that, as per needle stick injury case law, you can claim for mental damages as well as physical ones.
In terms of the major blood-borne pathogens that are linked with needlestick injuries, these are HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B. However, there are other infectious agents that can be carried through a needlestick. This includes the following:
- Prion agents, for example, those that are linked with TSEs.
- Malarial parasites
- West Nile virus (WNV)
- Transfusion-transmitted virus (TTV)
- Parvovirus B19
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- GB Virus C
- Hepatitis D
- Human T-lymphotropic retroviruses
There are also a number of different features of a percutaneous injury that come with a greater risk. And the higher the risk, the greater the chances are that you could potentially claim compensation. So, the risks include the following:
- A needlestick injury whereby the needle has been placed in the source patient’s vein or artery
- If there is visible blood on the sharp that has caused the injury
- If the source patient has a terminal HIV-related illness
- A deep injury
How To Begin A Needlestick Or Syringe Injury Compensation Claim
If you were the victim of a needlestick injury or needlestick infection injury, it is wise to take certain steps to pull together evidence for your syringe injury claims. This is to can increase your chances of successful needlestick injury claims and maximise your chances of securing one of the higher needle stick injury payouts. This involves the following:
- Making a note of everything that happened.
- Reporting the incident. If you have been injured at work, you need to inform your boss so that this can be recorded in the accident book.
- Take photographs of the scene or your injuries, if applicable.
- Get the contact information of anyone that witnessed the incident.
I Had A Needlestick Injury In A Public Place – Who Can I Claim Against?
Who you make your needlestick injury compensation claim against depends on where your accident happens. Generally, though, the local council oversees most public places, and so you will be making your claim against the local authorities. Such cases can happen if there has been a needle that has been reported and ignored or should have been disposed of and hasn’t been. If you’d like more information on syringe injury claims after a needlestick injury in a public place, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
I Had A Needlestick Injury At Work – Could I Make A Claim?
Should you suffer an infected needle wound due to a workplace accident, you might want to know whether you could claim compensation.
All employers have a duty of care towards their employees to protect their health and safety at work, as per the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Should they breach this duty of care, and an employee suffers a needlestick injury at work as a result, the employee could be eligible to make a compensation claim.
How Much Compensation Could I Get For A Needlestick Infection Injury?
How much compensation for a needle stick injury? This is a question that we often get asked when people call our legal helpline. When it comes to the compensation amount, it is vital to recognise that all claims are handled on a case-by-case basis.
There is not a set list of payouts, so to speak. This is because no two accidents are ever the same, and so the individual circumstances are taken into consideration to ensure that a fair amount is awarded every time.
With that being said, it is simply not possible to give you a fully accurate number for the payout you will receive. What we can do, though, is enlighten you to the average payout for a syringe or needle stick injury. You will find this information in the table below:
| Type of injury | Injury Common Payout Bracket | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries or Illnesses Plus Special Damages | Up to £100,000+ | Compensation for multiple severe illnesses or injuries plus special damages such as medical expenses. |
| PTSD – Moderately Severe | £23,150 to £59,860 | There is room with some recovery with help from a professional, but the person will still suffer with a significant disability for a while. |
| PTSD – Moderate | £8,180 to £23,150 | A serious degree of recovery will have been made and persisting effects (if any) will not be majorly disabling. |
| Digestive System – (b)(i) | £38,430 to £52,500 | Acute pain, a fever, vomiting and diarrhoea due to severe toxicosis requiring hospital admission. |
| Brain Damage – Less Severe | £15,320 to £43,060 | The person will be able to return to their normal working and social life due to a good recovery. However, they may still struggle with concentration and their memory. |
| Psychiatric Damage – Moderate | £5,860 to £19,070 | The person will have suffered with various issues but significant improvements will have been made. |
| Dermatitis and Other Skin Conditions – (c) | £1,710 to £3,950 | Rashes on one or both hands that cause irritation and itching, but will resolve within a few months with treatment. |
If you cannot find the sort of syringe injury you have sustained in the table below, please do not worry. All you need to do is give us a call to find out more about the average payout for the needlestick infection injury that you have sustained. And we can advise from that point regarding your needlestick injury claims.
No Win No Fee Needlestick Infection Injury Claims
One of the key features of our service is the fact that all of our claims are No Win No Fee. If you want to launch a needle stick injury lawsuit, you can have the peace of mind that you are never going to end up in a worse financial position than when you started. This is what a lot of personal injury victims fear.
Many people miss out on compensation every year because they do not want to run the risk of missing out on syringe injury compensation yet having legal fees to pay. We understand that, and that is why we only offer a No Win No Fee service. With this approach, all financial risks are eliminated. This is because you only pay for legal services documented within the No Win no Fee Agreement if your case is a success. In which case, you will have compensation to cover the cost. If your case is not a winning one, you won’t need to pay anything.
Not only does this make the service much fairer for personal injury victims, but also it ensures that all victims can claim no matter their current financial situation. It also means that the solicitor working on your case is going to be accountable for the service they provide, and this naturally leads to a much higher standard of legal aid. No matter whether you choose to work with Accident Claims or not, we would highly advise you to only ever go for a No Win No Fee service. Start your claim on a No Win No Fee basis by contacting us today.
Learn More About Claiming Compensation For A Needlestick Infection Injury
You’ve reached the end of our guide to needlestick injury compensation claims. In this final section, we’ve included some other links you may find useful about needlestick injury claims.
- Injuries to staff – This link takes you to a report on needlestick or syringe injuries for NHS staff. It contains information on the number of needlestick injuries, as well as the steps that need to be taken to minimise them.
- UK HSE – This link takes you to the UK Government Health and Safety Executive website. It contains a lot of different information and resources regarding sharp injuries.
- NHS- information on 111 – This page will give you information on the NHS’s non-emergency number.
- Accidents at Work – Our guide to making a claim for an accident at work
- GP Negligence Claims – Information on making a claim following clinical negligence from your GP or doctor.
- Soft Tissue Compensation Claims – A helpful guide to claiming compensation after a soft tissue injury.
- Birth Injury Compensation Claims – to learn more about claiming compensation for a birth injury, please head here.
Thank you for reading our guide on syringe and needlestick injury compensation claims. We hope you have learned a lot about needlestick injury claims/syringe injury claims/syringe compensation claims. But if you’d like to know more about claiming for a needlestick infection injury, don’t hesitate to contact us for legal advice.
