Have you been injured as a healthcare assistant?
We know how shocking it can be to suffer an injury while you were simply doing your job. It's likely your injury was completely unexpected, and you may not have fully realised the dangers involved in carrying out every day work tasks, such as lifting and moving patients.
We realise that being a healthcare assistant involves spending a lot of time on your feet. The job can be very tiring, with little time to rest. Because of this, an injury will often mean that you've had to take time off work to recover, and this can have an impact on your financial situation as well as leaving you feeling like you've lost your independence.
It's easy to blame yourself for an accident at work, or just to accept it as a side effect of your job role. However, all employers have a legal responsibility to make sure you're safe.
If you've been injured due to their negligence, such as not being provided with the right training or equipment, then we may be able to help you make a claim for the impacts your injury has had on you, your family and your finances.
You can get in touch with us for a free chat on . We'll listen to everything you say and can let you know whether we think you have a claim. All calls with us are free and confidential, and there's never any obligation to claim.
Causes of healthcare assistant injuries
We know how unfair it can feel to be injured at work, especially when your job is to help other people.
Although every job carries some risk of injury, it's important that your employer follows health and safety regulations to make sure you and your colleagues are safe.
As a healthcare assistant, injuries are often caused when lifting and moving patients.
If lifting and moving is part of your role, you should have been provided with the proper equipment, such as hoists, slide sheets, or transfer boards and there should also be enough staff for you to be able to lift the patient safely.
Injuries from lifting patients can happen suddenly or can gradually develop over a long period of time. If you've been given the wrong training, or no training at all on how to lift patients safely, then repeating this task each day can eventually cause a painful injury.
Healthcare assistant injuries can also be caused by slips, trips and falls due to obstacles or spillages, or you may have been attacked by a violent patient. Nobody deserves to be unfairly injured at work, which is why we're here to help you by providing free help and letting you know whether we think you have a claim.
Contamination from sharps
Another cause of injuries for healthcare assistants is contamination from sharp objects, such as scalpels and needles which can put you at risk of blood viruses. This type of injury is often known as a ‘needlestick injury' or ‘sharps injury', and can cause life-changing infections such as Tetanus, Hepatitis or HIV.
All sharps should be disposed of safely, and staff should be properly trained in how to use and handle them. If you've suffered from a needlestick injury, then we're sorry. We can't take away what you've been through, but we can help you make a serious injury claim to help with your treatment and recovery.
Your compensation
An accident as a healthcare assistant can often cause neck, shoulder or back pain and this can leave you unable to go to work until you've recovered. In some cases, you may even have to find a new job altogether.
You may be receiving reduced pay if you're off work, and this can mean you're unable to pay your bills and rent, especially if you also have a family to support.
The physical pain of an injury can mean you're unable to take part in sports and hobbies, and can have an impact on your social life. You may not be able to drive, leaving you feeling alone and reliant on those around you.
That's why our specialist solicitors take any impact of your injury into account when making your healthcare assistant's claim. This includes any expenses, from medical treatment and lost earnings to travel costs and accommodation, as well as your physical pain and suffering. They will also consider the effects on your family and friends.
Your compensation won't take away your injury, but we've seen how it can make your situation less stressful and give you the time and space to concentrate on your recovery.
Claiming against an employer
Many people who get in touch with us feel uncomfortable or concerned about making a claim against an employer, because they think they could be fired or treated differently.
It's against the law for your employer to fire you or treat you any differently to other members of staff because of your compensation claim. If they did dismiss you, then this would be considered ‘unfair dismissal' and you may be able to take legal action against them.
It's also important to remember that making a claim could help to highlight dangers in your workplace so that changes are made to avoid your colleagues and patients being injured in the same way.
Find out whether you could make a healthcare assistant's claim
We know it can often be difficult to tell whether an accident at work was somebody else's fault. People often wrongly think their accident is their own fault, or don't realise that somebody else is liable.
The best way to find out whether someone else was to blame for your accident is to get in touch with our friendly, legally trained advisors for free on .
We'll listen to everything you say about your experience, and can help you understand whether you have a claim. We're also happy to answer all your questions in a pressure-free environment.
If you do decide you'd like to go ahead with a claim, we can put you in touch with one of our specialist solicitors who will make sure you know exactly what to expect before guiding you through the claims process.
If you're not quite ready to speak to us yet, it's likely you could make a claim if:
- Your accident happened in the last three years
- It was somebody else's fault or was caused by their negligence
- You were injured
We know that some injuries are caused over a long period. In these cases, you usually have three years from the time you first realised you'd been injured.
You can also try our free claim checker, which estimates whether you have a claim based on your answers to some simple questions.