More than 100 sexual offences reported at Teesside hospitals
Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice submitted FOIs to NHS Trusts in the region
Dozens of sexual offences have been reported at NHS hospital trusts across Teesside over the last three financial years.
New figures, obtained through a freedom of information request sent by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, uncovers incidents recorded at both South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust between 2022/23 and 2024/25.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs James Cook University Hospital and other services across the area, recorded a total of at least 27 sexual offence reports over the three-year period.
The number of incidents rose year on year, increasing from five staff-reported cases in 2022/23 to eight in 2023/24, before climbing sharply to 14 in 2024/25. Additional allegations were also made by patients in two of the three years, though exact figures were withheld where the number was fewer than five to protect anonymity.
Across the period, the majority of allegations at South Tees were made by employees. The trust confirmed that fewer than five workers were disciplined in each year, and fewer than five were dismissed in relation to sexual offences.
Meanwhile, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust recorded low but persistent levels of reported sexual offences over the same period.
The trust confirmed that fewer than five incidents were recorded in both 2022/23 and 2023/24, rising to five in 2024/25.
However, it declined to provide a breakdown of whether the allegations were made by staff, patients or members of the public, citing data protection concerns due to the small numbers involved.
North Tees and Hartlepool also confirmed that no staff members were disciplined or dismissed in relation to sexual offences during the three-year period.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust recorded 75 sexual offences over the same three-year period, with reports rising sharply year on year.
Sixteen incidents were logged in 2022/23, increasing to 26 in 2023/24 and reaching 33 in 2024/25.
Most accusations there were also made by staff members, though patients and members of the public were among the victims.
The trust confirmed that 10 staff members were disciplined and three were dismissed in relation to sexual offences.
Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service analysis
A recent analysis of Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) decisions found that nearly a quarter of all tribunal cases heard in a single year involved sexual misconduct - with over half of those cases involving sexual assault allegations.
Among cases where misconduct was proven, 65% resulted in doctors being erased from the medical register, while 35% led only to suspension, even in serious cases
In 24% of cases, tribunals imposed less severe sanctions than those recommended by the General Medical Council, raising concerns about leniency and inconsistency.
Disturbingly, one in four (26%) of cases involved offences against children. The study also found that all doctors sanctioned for sexual misconduct were male, with 83% holding senior positions of authority, such as consultants or GPs.
General practice and surgery were the most commonly represented specialties. Researchers highlighted that seniority often enables abuse, as perpetrators may control patients’ care or staff members’ training, career progression, or employment conditions.
Surveys across the medical profession show that more than half of those experiencing sexual harassment or assault do not report it - often due to fear of retaliation, belief that reporting will not lead to action, or concern about career consequences.
In tribunal proceedings, victim-survivors are typically required to give evidence without guaranteed access to legal advice or specialist advocacy - a process experts warn can be re-traumatising.
Experts 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.
“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.”
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.
NHS England were contacted for comment by Billion Media but it did not reply by deadline.