§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many needlestick and sharp injuries there were(a) in hospitals in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency and (b) in NHS trusts in England in the last year for which figures are available. [120626]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department does not collect this data centrally but has advised all national health service trusts that it should be collected locally to enable them to assess risks to staff and patients. Figures for needlestick incidents should be available from the trusts concerned in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. The National Audit Office report, "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts", reported that needlestick injuries in the NHS in England amounted to approximately 23,000 each year.