Surgical items left in patients after surgery can delay or prevent recovery from the initial procedure, causing an increase in suffering, complications, and the need for further surgery to retrieve the item. How common is it for surgical items to be left in patients? Retention of a surgical item or “foreign object” after a surgical or invasive procedure is deemed a ‘Never Event’ by the NHS, i.e. these incidents should never occur. Strict practices are put in place and observed to avoid such things from happening. The definition includes both surgical and invasive procedures. Non-surgical invas ..read more

Sometimes, due to human error or clinical negligence, a surgical swab may be left inside the body of a patient after an operation has concluded. An incidence of a retained swab is most likely to occur during a gynaecological or abdominal procedure. While retention of surgical swabs is uncommon, the number of officially reported incidents may not accurately reflect the actual number of cases, as reporting in the UK occurs on a voluntary basis. What are swabs used for in surgery? Swabs, gauze, and surgical sponges are used to absorb blood and other bodily fluids during surgery. Controlling blood ..read more

Every patient is owed a duty of care by their doctor, surgeon, or other medical professionals. If this duty of care is not met, and the patient suffers harm as a result, this amounts to clinical negligence. ‘Clinical negligence’ as a concept extends to both mental and physical harm. Exacerbation of an existing condition, as opposed to a new injury, can also qualify. Types of medical negligence Occurrences of clinical negligence can range in severity – from basic administrative failures to serious dereliction of duty, resulting in permanent injury or even death. Some examples of clinical neglig ..read more

There is debate about which conditions need hysterectomy surgery. Some believe heavy periods, pelvic pain, or conditions such as endometriosis can be reason enough. Others believe only cancer requires the procedure. In most cases, surgery is a final option. Medical advice in the UK highlights the importance of assessing a condition’s impact on a patient’s life before deciding to undergo an operation as serious as a hysterectomy. This encompasses: how the condition affects their ‘quality of life’ the symptoms being experienced the availability or suitability of other forms of treatment. The d ..read more

NHS failings as a mum of two dies from ‘multi-organ failure’ after visiting A&E at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, with a fractured knee. Her family was left ‘devastated and angry’ after a routine knee operation turned tragic following a catalogue of mistakes, including administering the wrong medication. The family of Linda Allan, 59, called for medical staff involved in her care to be held accountable for failing her and accused the NHS board of ‘zero compassion’ after the tragedy. A Fatal Accident Inquiry is lined up for later in the year. Wrong Medication and a Catalogue of Mista ..read more

NHS England has confirmed that Donna Ockenden will chair a new independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust. NUH runs both the Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC). The senior midwife-led an inquiry that found over 200 babies at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust could have survived with better maternity care. She is now tasked with leading an inquiry into NUH, taking over from a local review team. This comes after families wrote to the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, airing their concerns over the experience and objectivity of ..read more

A West Midlands hospital A&E is being investigated after concerns were raised over the deaths of 54 patients in a six-month period. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) examined Russells Hall Hospital’s death records from the first six months of 2018 as part of an inspection in June. Dudley Group NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said it had the region’s lowest mortality rate. The A&E department has been issued with four enforcement notices since January, meaning the trust has to report regularly to the CQC. Inspectors visited the hospital in June and gave it an overall rating of “requi ..read more

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust admits failing to provide care in a safe way and exposing patients to a significant risk of avoidable harm after two patients die. Mohammed Ismael Zaman (Bolly) bled to death at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in October 2019 while undergoing dialysis. A little over half a year later, in May 2020, 83-year-old Max Dingle was exposed to avoidable harm when his head was trapped between a bed rail and mattress before dying soon after from a cardiac arrest. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has been fined £1.3 million following criminal charges br ..read more

The term ‘Never Event’ was first introduced by Ken Kizer, former chief executive of the National Quality Forum in the United States and was in reference to particularly shocking medical errors which should never occur if the available preventable measures are implemented. An NHS Never Event is an umbrella term for a series of avoidable mistakes and errors made by NHS employees. Categories of ‘Never Events’ include: Retaining a foreign object after surgery eg. swab Wrong site surgery or treatment Wrong implant or prosthesis fitted Medication errors where the wrong dose or the drug was administ ..read more

Analysis by the BBC shows that one in five local hospital services are constantly failing to hit any of their key waiting-time targets. The analysis reveals that out of 157 trusts and boards, 29 have failed to hit a single target for the whole year. Looking at the picture on a national level it is believed the performance has sunk to its worst levels in recent times with each part of the UK missing its three key NHS targets every month or quarter for more than a year. In Scotland the last time the target was met was in August 2017 whilst in Wales, none of the three key targets has been me ..read more