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Woman's £3,000 for ankle break at work
A LEALHOLM woman who broke her ankle at work has received £3,000 compensation.
Kathryn Knight (23), a radiographer, was off work for four weeks following the accident at Bradford Royal Infirmary in May last year.
The keen horse rider was pulling a screen, used to give patients’ privacy, along a corridor in the radiology department when the wheels hit her left ankle causing it to break.
Kathryn had never been trained on how to move the heavy screens properly, which should have been pushed, not pulled.
She has now fully recovered from the accident but had to spend weeks in plaster and was unable to take part in her hobbies, which include horse riding and running.
She said: “Because I was a new employee I hadn’t been shown how to move the screens and, as a result, tried to move them in the way I thought was most sensible. I now know that these screens should be pushed.
"I have had to learn the hard way when really I should have been provided with training to avoid me going through what has been a particularly painful injury.”
Following the accident, she contacted her union, the Society of Radiographers which instructed its lawyers, Thompsons Solicitors, to pursue a claim for compensation.
Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Trust admitted liability and settled the claim out of court.
Warren Town, the Society's director of industrial relations, said: “Our organisation works to ensure that radiographers are able to work in a safe environment. We have officers dedicated to making sure that health and safety protocols are being followed. It is unacceptable that this member sustained a broken ankle before she was shown how to use this equipment.”
Phil Kyte from Thompsons Solicitors added: “This radiographer was left to rely on her own instincts in using equipment because she was provided with no training.
“A few seconds of instruction would have saved this client a lot of pain and time. We hope the NHS Trust changes its procedures to ensure staff are provided with the appropriate training.”
A spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "Following an investigation into the circumstances of a claim, we have agreed an out-of-court settlement with the claimant's solicitors.
“For reasons of confidentiality, we are restricted from making further details public."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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