Faulty Medical Equipment Linked to Over 300 Deaths in UK

Broken or malfunctioning medical equipment has been linked to more than 300 patient deaths in England over the past two years, according to figures released from a confidential NHS safety database. The data, obtained by the Daily Mail under Freedom of Information laws, highlights a series of critical equipment failures.

Instances detailed in the database include ambulance crews unable to administer life-saving shocks due to dead defibrillator batteries, with spare units also found to be depleted. Other reported malfunctions involved a defibrillator failing in rainy conditions and resuscitation bags missing essential components. In one case, a patient suffered a cardiac arrest after being placed in an operating theatre with an oxygen mask that had its valve shut, and the issue went unnoticed.

The safety database, known as the Learn from Patient Safety Events Service, is intended by the NHS to enhance patient care by logging incidents that have resulted in harm or could have led to harm. Staff are required to report such events. The figures indicate 158 fatal incidents linked to 'devices' in the 2024/25 financial year and 154 in 2025/26.

The database does not definitively state that the faulty equipment was the direct cause of each death, but the NHS confirmed that clinicians review all reported incidents resulting in severe harm or death. Separate statistics from NHS Resolution, the health service's legal arm, show five payouts were made in the last year where faulty equipment contributed to a patient's death, totaling £254,500.

A spokesperson for the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency emphasized the importance of proper staff training on medical equipment usage, alongside appropriate monitoring and maintenance protocols. NHS England stated that all hospitals are mandated to have plans for responding to patient safety incidents to ensure improvements are implemented after such rare events occur.