NHS trusts across the UK have admitted to serious medical errors resulting in accidental limb amputations, revealing systemic patient safety issues.
- Over the last three years, six individuals have had limbs erroneously removed at a single hospital, marking the highest number of such incidents reported by any NHS trust in the UK.
- These events, termed ‘never events’ by the NHS, have been disclosed through Freedom of Information requests, highlighting preventable surgical mistakes.
- Multiple NHS trusts, including York, Scarborough, and Sheffield, have reported significant numbers of these incidents, raising concerns about procedural checks.
- Medical professionals stress the devastating impact on patients and their families, emphasising the need for rigorous investigations and the dissemination of preventative measures across the NHS.
In recent years, several NHS trusts have faced scrutiny for inadvertent limb amputations performed on patients. These incidents, categorised as ‘never events’, underline severe lapses in surgical protocol that are deemed largely preventable. Such incidents came to light following Freedom of Information requests which disclosed the frequency and distribution of these surgical errors.
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stands out with the highest number of reported cases. Over a span of three years, the trust admitted to six wrongful amputations, underscoring a pressing need for improved medical oversight and procedural verification. These instances collectively account for a significant portion of the reported cases within the NHS framework across the UK.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has also acknowledged incidents of wrongful amputations. Similar errors have been documented at Medway NHS Foundation Trust in Kent, which reported five such cases between 2021 and 2023. These were attributed to medical negligence, spotlighting the challenges in maintaining consistent patient safety protocols across different institutions.
Sarah Rowland, a notable medical negligence lawyer, remarked on the gravity of ‘wrong site surgery’, a critical error that should never transpire. She pointed out the profound and lasting impact on victims and their families, stressing the necessity for comprehensive investigations followed by actioned recommendations to mitigate future occurrences. The need for broad dissemination of findings and preventive strategies throughout the NHS is paramount to enhance patient safety.
The situation draws attention to the importance of rigorous checks before surgeries. Other NHS trusts, including The George Eliot Hospital, East Kent Hospitals University Trust, and Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, reported similar incidents, though some refrained from releasing exact figures due to confidentiality concerns. This reinforces the call for widespread improvements in safeguarding measures across the healthcare system.
These revelations underscore an urgent need for systemic improvements within the NHS to prevent further preventable surgical mistakes.
