Back injury compensation

A nurse has been awarded £420,000 compensation from an NHS trust after poor staffing levels and inadequate equipment caused her disabling back condition.

Angela Knott's case is seen as groundbreaking because her chronic back problem was not the result of a single incident. Unions say back injuries force around 3,600 nurses to retire each year. The High Court decision could now lead to more legal cases against negligent trusts.

* Compensation of £58,000 was awarded to a a member of public services union UNISON who suffered severe shock and trauma when injured by contaminated and unsafe needles. UNISON says that most of the injuries would be prevented if the government introduced US-style 'safe needle' legislation.

* The EIS, the largest teachers' union in Scotland, won nearly £300,000 in compensation for its members last year, including: a member who slipped on ice, another who sustained head injuries from a falling chalkboard, and a teacher who tripped on raised tiles.