Shocking number of sexual abuse claims at 3 of Lancashire's biggest hospital trusts revealed
Newly released figures have revealed that there have been nearly 700 reports of sexual abuse at three of Lancashire’s most major hospital trusts over the past three years.
Data obtained by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice through Freedom of Information requests shows that there been at least* 680 reports of sexual abuse across Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 2022 and 2025.
Of these claims, at least* 208 patients across the three trusts have claimed to be victims of sexual abuse over the three year period - the rest being reported by staff members or members of the public.
As well looking at the number of sexual abuse reports across the trusts, Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice learnt that less than 15 staff members had been disciplined in relation to sexual misconduct.
Take a look below at the specific situation across the trusts and what they had to say about the figures.
*The term at least has to be used as for some of the figures state ‘under five reports’.
What’s the situation at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust?
The Freedom of Information request revealed that in the last three financial years, Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust recorded 464 sexual safety incidents involving staff, patients and members of the public- 132 of which were made by patients.
Breaking down the years, in 2022/23, the trust recorded 160 allegations made by employees, 67 reports by patients and seven by members of the public.
The following year saw 66 staff reports, 34 patient reports and fewer than five involving members of the public.
Finally in 2024/25, there were 92 incidents filed by workers, 31 by patients, alongside fewer than five allegations logged by members of the public.
The Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice also learnt that disciplinary data was only available for 2024/25 when fewer than five staff members were disciplined in relation to sexual misconduct and no employees were dismissed.
Approached with the data, Oliver Soriano, Chief Nursing Officer at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) said: “We take the safety of our patients, colleagues and visitors extremely seriously. We have a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate, discrimination and harassment, which includes unwanted, inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviours.
“We have a strong reporting culture for staff, patients and communities through various different channels to raise concerns and report incidents.
“When we are made aware of allegations of sexual safety incidents, we report to the police immediately and undertake robust internal investigations and take appropriate actions. We seek to learn from what has happened so we can ensure a safe environment for all on our wards, buildings and in our care.
“While the number of confirmed incidents remains low, each concern raised represents a real person and a lived experience that deserves to be heard, understood and responded to with compassion and care.”
What’s the situation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?
It found that in the last three financial years, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recorded 174 sexual safety incidents involving staff, patients and members of the public.
Breaking down the years, in 2022/23 ,the trust recorded 34 allegations made by employees, 12 by patients and four by members of the public.
The following financial year, there were 34 staff reports, 20 patient reports and eight involving members of the public.
Finally in 2024/25, there were 39 allegations filed by workers, 16 by patients and seven involving members of the public.
The Freedom of Information request also found that across the three years, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals took disciplinary action in three cases, including one staff dismissal in 2023/24.
A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals spokesperson told us: “We are committed to creating a secure, welcoming, caring and friendly environment within our Trust. We therefore have a zero tolerance policy towards any abuse of our patients, colleagues and visitors with robust procedures in place for managing allegations.”
What’s the situation at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust?
At this trust, the number of sexual abuse allegations has gradually risen in the past three years.
Back in 2022/23, the trust recorded fewer than five sexual offence allegations- all of which were logged as ‘staff on patient’
In 2023/2024, there were then nine allegations, six of which were recorded as ‘staff on patient’.
Finally in 2024/2025, there were 42 allegations - 17 of which were recorded as ‘staff on patient’, 12 ‘patient on staff’, five ’patient on patient’, then fewer than five incidents were recorded in each of the categories’ staff on staff’, ‘patient on visitor’ and ‘unknown on patient’.
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The trust told Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice that the figures include all allegations made through its internal incident reporting process, whether substantiated or not.
Disclosures relating to incidents that occurred outside of trust premises or activities were excluded.
It also stated that significant changes were made to its incident reporting system in 2024, which may have contributed to the increase in recorded cases.
Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice also revealed that separate data on reports made directly to HR at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shows no reports in 2022/23 and fewer than five in both 2023/24 and 2024/25- all of these were made by staff members.
In terms of disciplinary action, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals said that data was not available for 2022/23 and in both 2023/24 and 2024/25, fewer than five staff members were dismissed in relation to sexual offences, this low figure meaning that further detail was withheld to protect the anonymity of victims.
Katy Coope, Chief People Officer at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, said: “We’ve worked hard to ensure people – whether patients, staff, visitors or anyone who comes into contact with our services – feel safe and confident in reporting concerns. These are then fully investigated and appropriate action taken.
“These figures coincide with the work we’ve done to update our policies and reporting procedures in the last couple of years to make them even easier to access, as well as make us better able to understand and respond to concerns. We’ve also introduced a range of new training, guidance and support for colleagues.
“We’re very clear, anyone who has concerns should always speak up – you’ll be supported to do so in a dignified and confidential way. I’d like to thank everyone who has come forward, something I know is often difficult to do, and to reassure everyone that they are safe at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals.”
Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice offers expert legal support and advice to those affected by sexual abuse. You can book a free consultation or call their 24-hour helpline by visiting their website.