Over 120 Midwives Awarded £750,000 Compensation after Exposure to Nitrous Oxide A landmark settlement has been reached after midwives and maternity staff at Basildon University Hospital were exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide due to poor ventilation and leaking gas lines from 2021 to 2023. The settlement marks a 'landmark' for the NHS, according to the Royal College of Midwives, but the charity stresses that it is not enough to address the issue of poor working conditions in UK maternity units. More than 120 midwives and maternity staff have been awarded almost £750,000 in compensation after being exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide used for pain relief in labour. Long-term exposure to the compound, known as laughing gas, has side-effects such as fatigue, headaches, brain fog and anxiety. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) took legal action on behalf of the workers due to poor ventilation on the maternity unit and leaking gas lines at Basildon University Hospital from 2021 to 2023. An independent review found an 'unacceptable delay' by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and concluded midwives were 'exposed to unnecessary risk or potential harm'.Despite the settlement, the RCM and Gill Walton, its head, stress that the gas is safe for women to use for pain relief during labour, highlighting the need for the NHS to invest in safe workplaces. The Government must urgently invest to bring maternity buildings up to standard to prevent such incidents in the future.