MINISTERS are under pressure to investigate after new figures revealed more than 100,000 people have been injured in accidents in Scottish hospitals in four years.

A catalogue of incidents – ranging from minor bumps and bruises to broken limbs, amputations and even deaths – have been recorded in NHS wards since 2009.

Injuries from electric shocks, burns, the inhalation of toxic fumes, and from fixtures and fittings collapsing are witnessed frequently on wards in Scotland.

An average of 64 people every day have been hurt, the majority of them patients, although staff, student nurses and visitors have also been injured.

Scotland's healthcare watchdog and opposition politicians are demanding Government intervention amid fears the injuries drain already-stretched resources.

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, yesterday said she was alarmed by the figures and called for new signs to warn of potential dangers.

She said: "You go into hospital to get better, not get worse as a result of a secondary injury. Hospitals should also follow the example of building sites and display how many days have passed since the last accident on-site - I don't think there is enough information on our wards about the hazards we face, whether it's a door that can jam your finger or a steep set of stairs.

"What I want to see is new signs being put up to tell people, whether they be patients or staff, where accidents have taken place so they can avoid the same thing happening again."

The figures obtained from Scotland's 14 health boards under freedom of information legislation show 103,258 people have been hurt since 2009. NHS Lothian recorded the highest number of accidents, with 33,967 people injured: two-thirds of them patients and 247 of them hospital visitors.

Cuts, bruises and strains were the most common although officials noted patients being burned, scratched by needles or ingesting toxic materials. Some 24 people suffered an electric shock, dozens were bitten by patients and a handful required an amputation as a result of a hospital accident.

The Lothian figures also show 3695 people were hurt within the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, the majority of them patients, although no further details are given.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde noted the second-highest total with 30,262 injuries. Like in Lothian, the majority of incidents involved bruises, cuts or scratches.

The NHS in Scotland pays out millions of pounds annually in compensation as a result of medical negligence, with the number of claims rising year-on-year.

Dr Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative public health spokeswoman, said: "Hospitals should be as safe an environment as possible, not only for patients but for staff and visitors as well.

"Whilst there will always be accidents in a busy medical environment, the health service has a duty to minimise the number of incidents on its sites."

Officials at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "Understanding and learning from incidents is an important part of risk management. The occurrence of an incident or near miss might trigger a review of a risk assessment of a work area or of a particular practice, to work out how to minimise the chance of similar incidents in future."

NHS Lothian pointed out it treats 1.1 million patients a year and employs 24,000 people.