The number of accidents within the NHS has risen by 24 per cent with many trusts blaming the increase on staff shortages and heavy workloads, a report said today.
The Government set a target that the number of accidents in the NHS should be reduced by a fifth by 2001-2 .
A new National Audit Office (NAO) report found that just over a fifth of the 297 trusts in England had met this target and the gap between the best and worst trusts was widening.
Typical incidents involve injuries from needles, moving and handling patients and exposure to dangerous chemicals.
Slips and trips accounted for 48 per cent of major injuries and were often caused by poor cleaning techniques.
It also urged trusts to improve training and ensure they have better systems for reporting accidents.
The Royal College of Nursing's spokesman on health and safety, Mike Travis, said: "The NHS must take immediate steps to protects nurses from risk."
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