Over the past three financial years, 24 members of staff employed by the University of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) were disciplined in relation to a sexual offence.

According to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, 24 employees were disciplined in relation to a sexual offence between 2022/23 and 2024/25.

Over the same period, eight members of staff were dismissed in relation to a sexual offence.

Other figures released by the trust, which runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford Hospital, revealed that a total of 45 sexual safety incidents were recorded by the organsiation in the financial year 2024/25, all of which took place on UHNM premises.

Five of the recorded cases in that year involved incidents allegedly perpetrated by staff against patients.

A further two incidents were allegedly perpetrated by patients against other patients, while 21 sexual safety incidents were allegedly perpetrated by patients against staff.

There were also nine formal employee conduct cases.

Another Freedom of Information request revealed that as of 3 September 2025, the organisation had received 73 reports or complaints of sexual harassment or inappropriate sexual conduct over past three calendar years.

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Other data released by the trust suggests that the figure is rising. There were 28 sexual safety incidents recorded on UHNM premises financial year 2023/4, compared to 45 in 2024/25.

This represents a 61 per cent growth in recorded sexual safety incidents.

In the financial year 2022/23 there were nine incidents recorded for sexual safety regarding patients.

Jane Haire, chief people officer at UHNM, said: "We take all allegations relating to sexual safety extremely seriously.

"Every report is fully investigated and appropriate action is taken in line with our safeguarding and disciplinary procedures, including referral to external authorities where necessary.

"The safety of our patients, visitors and staff is our top priority and we encourage anyone with concerns to come forward so they can be addressed quickly."

Legal experts at Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, have called for mandatory trauma-informed training, clearer reporting pathways, stronger protections for whistleblowers, and more consistent sanctions to ensure that sexual offences within healthcare settings are treated with the seriousness they warrant.

"What these disclosures show is a pattern that can no longer be dismissed as isolated wrongdoing," said CICA (Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority) specialist Ellie Lamey, of Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice.

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"Healthcare environments place enormous trust in professionals, and when that trust is abused the impact on victims can be profound and long-lasting.

"We regularly hear from people who stayed silent for months or years because they believed speaking up would achieve nothing or would place them at personal or professional risk.

"That silence should not be mistaken for absence of harm - it reflects fear, imbalance of power and a system that too often prioritises reputation over protection."

She added: "There must be robust, survivor-centred reporting processes, independent oversight and consequences that genuinely reflect the seriousness of these behaviours.

"Without that, confidence in healthcare institutions will continue to be eroded, and those affected will remain without the justice and support they deserve."