A Nottingham midwife who suffered a fracture to her wrist and injured her head in a fall at work has received £5,100 with the support of Thompsons Solicitors and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

“I can’t fault the work of both the RCM and Thompsons Solicitors, who supported me throughout the claim. Their help meant I was able to receive compensation that covered my work losses, and that my employer had to acknowledge its failings.”

RCM accident at work client

The member had just finished attending to a patient when she tripped over a wire connecting a nearby monitor to the wall, causing her to fall over.

The 56-year-old suffered a fracture to her left wrist during the fall, which required a cast, and was left with two black eyes as well as a large lump on her head. The injuries left her unable to return to work for almost two months, and she continued to suffer discomfort afterwards. The member also had difficulty with daily tasks, such as cleaning and showering, because of the cast.

She contacted the RCM and instructed Thompsons Solicitors to make a compensation claim. 

“This injury made me glad that I am a member of the RCM,” she said. “Being left unable to work because of something that wasn’t my fault was incredibly frustrating. If I didn’t have my union to turn to I would have been at a total loss. 

“I can’t fault the work of both the RCM and Thompsons Solicitors, who supported me throughout the claim. Their help meant I was able to receive compensation that covered my work losses, and that my employer had to acknowledge its failings.” 

Suzanne Miller, regional officer for the East Midlands at the RCM, said: “An easily avoidable accident meant that a dedicated professional was left unable to support patients for several weeks and a hospital was left a team member down. A simple risk assessment would have identified the cable as an issue before the accident happened, however we are pleased that we were able to fight on our member’s behalf to ensure she was properly compensated for her injury and the employer faced up to the consequences of its poor health and safety regime.” 

Jane Toplis, of Thompsons Solicitors, said: “We’re proud to have supported this woman in her claim for compensation. Thompsons works closely with the RCM to ensure midwives injured at or away from work get the best compensation as quickly as possible.”