More than 20 patients sexually assaulted by staff at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, FOI reveals

More than 200 sexual safety incidents have been recorded across Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust in just three years, with staff accused of sexually assaulting patients more than 20 times.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, shows the trust recorded 212 sexual safety incidents between the financial years 2022/23 and 2024/25. 

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust runs a large network of hospitals and community services across Greater Manchester, including Salford Royal, Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and Trafford General Hospital. 

Within the overall total, there were 25 incidents where staff were alleged to have sexually abused patients - including 23 physical assaults and two counts of verbal abuse. 

The data also shows that five of the staff-on-patient incidents involved victims who lacked mental capacity - meaning they were unable to make decisions for themselves at the time due to conditions affecting the functioning of their mind or brain, such as dementia, severe mental illness, learning disability, brain injury or unconsciousness. 

Overall incident numbers rose sharply over the period, increasing from 19 cases in 2022/23 to 111 in 2023/24, before falling slightly to 82 in 2024/25. 

The majority of sexual safety incidents involved patients abusing staff, accounting for 133 cases, while there were also 22 incidents involving patient-on-patient abuse and 23 cases involving members of the public and patients. 

Northern Care Alliance confirmed that two staff members were disciplined and two were dismissed over the three-year period in relation to sexual offences. 

Meanwhile, at neighbouring Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust 43 patients raised sexual abuse concerns against workers at the trust in three financial years, between 2022/23 and 2024/25. 

The harrowing data shows that the trust recorded 234 sexual safety incidents during that time period, with almost half of those (46%) coming in the most recent financial year. 

However, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust explained that the data relates to incidents recorded under ‘sexual safety’ - which is a broad category that includes issues affecting a person’s sense of sexual wellbeing, such as assault, harassment, misconduct and safeguarding concerns. 

In 2022/23, the trust recorded 64 sexual abuse incidents. The figure remained similar at 62 the following year, before worryingly rising significantly to 108 in 2024/25. 

Across the full period, 175 of the incidents were reported by staff members. A further 43 were reported by patients, while eight were reported by visitors and another eight by individuals recorded under ‘other’. 

The trust confirmed that nine staff members were disciplined over the three financial years in relation to a sexual offence. However, it said a further breakdown of this data would not be released due to the small numbers involved and the risk of identifying individuals. 

Data on how many staff were dismissed was also withheld on the same grounds. The trust said disclosure could risk identifying patients and would breach data protection principles. 

Concerns about sexual abuse isn’t confined to Greater Manchester. In the South West, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust recorded 77 sexual assaults over three years, including one rape - which took place in the most recent year. 

“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. 

“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.” 

https://www.sexualabusecompensationadvice.org.uk/sexual-abuse-claims/