Written by Rick Gregory, Editorial Lead · Legal information checked in collaboration with Edward & Amaury Solicitors (SRA 800525) · September 2026 · ~5 min read
Quick Summary
- Care home work carries specific risks around moving and handling residents, lone working, and exposure to violence or aggression from residents with certain conditions
- Employers must properly assess and manage manual handling risk for resident care, providing appropriate equipment such as hoists and adequate training
- Care providers have the same employers' liability insurance obligations as any other employer, so a claim doesn't come out of the home's operating budget
- Agency and bank care staff are generally owed the same duty of care as directly employed staff
What are the most common workplace injuries for care home staff?
- Resident handling injuries — back, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal injuries from assisting residents with mobility, transfers, or personal care
- Slips, trips, and falls — on corridors, bathrooms, and communal areas, sometimes involving spilled fluids
- Violence and aggression — from residents, particularly where dementia or other conditions can lead to unpredictable or aggressive behaviour
- Lone working incidents — injuries or incidents occurring while working without immediate support nearby, particularly during night shifts
- Needlestick or sharps injuries — where care staff are involved in administering medication or assisting with medical equipment
What does the law require regarding resident handling?
Care providers are required under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 to properly assess the risks involved in moving and handling residents, and to take reasonable steps to reduce them — including providing appropriate equipment such as hoists, slide sheets, or transfer boards, and ensuring staff are properly trained in their use. Because resident handling involves a person rather than a static load, and residents' needs and mobility can vary and change, this assessment needs to be genuinely specific to the individual, not a generic one-size-fits-all approach. See our guide on manual handling regulations for the underlying legal framework.
What if I was injured by a resident's aggressive behaviour?
This is a recognised and serious risk in care settings, particularly where residents have dementia or other conditions that can affect behaviour. Employers still have a duty to assess this foreseeable risk and take reasonable steps to protect staff — including care planning that identifies known behavioural risks, adequate staffing levels, training in de-escalation and safe handling techniques, and appropriate support following an incident. Where an employer failed to take reasonable steps despite a known or foreseeable risk, this can support a claim.
What if I was injured while working alone?
Lone working is common in care settings, particularly overnight, and carries its own risks — including delayed help in an emergency. Employers must assess lone working risks and put in place reasonable measures, such as personal alarms, regular check-in procedures, or ensuring certain tasks aren't carried out alone. Where inadequate lone working arrangements contributed to your injury or to a delay in getting help, this is relevant to a claim.
I'm an agency or bank care worker — can I still claim?
Yes, in most cases. Agency and bank staff working in a care home are generally owed the same fundamental duty of care as directly employed staff, whether responsibility ultimately sits with the staffing agency, the care provider, or both, depending on who controlled the conditions that led to your injury.
Will claiming against my care home affect residents or my job?
This is a common concern, but claiming for a genuine workplace injury doesn't come out of the home's day-to-day operating budget or affect resident care — compensation is paid through the care provider's employers' liability insurance, which exists specifically for this purpose. See our guide on employers' liability insurance for how this works. Genuine claims are also a legally protected right, and detrimental treatment connected to a safety-related claim can itself be unlawful.
What evidence supports a care home injury claim?
- An accident or incident report logged with your employer as soon as possible
- Details of the specific resident, task, or hazard involved
- Any care plan or risk assessment relevant to the resident or task involved
- Medical records documenting your injury and treatment
- Witness details from colleagues on shift at the time
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim if I was injured moving a resident without the right equipment being available?
Yes — if suitable equipment such as a hoist wasn't available or accessible when it should have been, and this contributed to your injury, this is significant evidence for a claim.
What if the resident who caused my injury has dementia and didn't mean to hurt me?
This doesn't prevent a claim against your employer — the question is whether your employer took reasonable steps to assess and manage the known risk, not the resident's intent.
Does it matter that working in care involves some inherent physical risk?
No — the inherent demands of care work are exactly why the regulations around resident handling, staffing, and risk assessment exist. An injury isn't simply an accepted cost of the job if it resulted from your employer failing to meet those specific duties.
Injured while working in a care home?
A specialist solicitor can assess your specific circumstances and guide you through making a claim.
Or call 01228 272395 to speak to Edward & Amaury Solicitors (SRA number: 800525). No upfront cost and nothing to pay if your claim does not succeed.