Over 300 Patient Deaths Linked to Faulty NHS Medical Equipment in Two Years
NHS safety data reveal that more than 300 deaths in England over the past two financial years were associated with broken or malfunctioning medical devices.
New figures from the NHS safety database show that 312 patient deaths in England across the 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years were linked to faulty or poorly maintained medical equipment. Incidents range from ambulance crews being unable to deliver a life-saving shock because both a defibrillator and its spare had flat batteries, to a defibrillator that stopped working in rain and resuscitation bags missing essential parts.
Other cases involve a patient taken to surgery with an oxygen mask valve shut, causing cardiac arrest, a hospital’s emergency-bleep system failing for an entire morning, and a nurse forgetting to turn on a newly replaced oxygen cylinder, resulting in a fatality in A&E. The Learn from Patient Safety Events Service logs these events but does not confirm causation for each death. NHS statements note that clinicians review all severe-harm reports, and the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency emphasizes the need for proper training and equipment monitoring. NHS England added that hospitals must have response plans for such safety incidents, and NHS Resolution reported five compensation payouts totalling £254,500 for equipment-related deaths last year.
Why it matters
Faulty medical devices can cause preventable deaths, exposing critical gaps in NHS equipment maintenance and staff training.
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