A ‘never event’ incident occurred during an operation procedure when a tool broke off inside a patient at Shropshire Hospital. The issue went unnoticed due to the hospital staff’s failure to adhere to the facility’s theatre count policy, according to Shropshire Star. It was included as part of a series of 12 incident investigations scheduled for conclusion during the months of May and June.
A report to the board of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust showed that the patient was undergoing a transurethral resection of the prostate (commonly known as TURP). This procedure involves the removal of a section of the prostate. During this process, a resectoscope, which is a device used to perform the procedure, unfortunately suffered a breakage. The report stated: “When the piece of equipment was thought to be lost, the correct procedure, as per the trust’s theatre count policy, was not adhered to. Resectoscope loops have always been manipulated by urology surgeons for some patients where a better cut is required.”
The report also indicated that the patient felt “increased pain and anxiety” because of the medical negligence that took place. Furthermore, the patient had to have a catherer for longer than he had to. After the investigation, some steps were taken. These included providing more training to make sure all staff follow the right procedure when an equipment is lost.
A delayed cancer diagnosis was one of 11 serious incident investigations finalised during the reported period. This situation seemed to have led to the disease’s progression, limiting treatment options, and impacting the patient’s prognosis. The investigation’s report emphasised that this incident stemmed from an error in the x-ray archiving and communication system. This was further worsened by an “unprecedented backlog in reporting caused by workforce capacity limitations and high service demand.”
Another incident of delayed diagnosis and treatment involved a patient’s condition escalating to a cardiac arrest due to overcrowding in the A&E department. According to the investigation that took place, this incident could not have been prevented, though there was some learning to take from what happened. In May and June reports showed that there were no ‘never events’ incidents, however another 16 serious incidents are currently under investigation.
Here at UKExpertMedical, we appreciate how traumatic these cases can be. Our team will always act in the best interests of the client and solicitor to prepare Medical Negligence Reports as quickly as possible, in order that the claim can progress to a prompt conclusion. Our Medical Negligence Reports now cover Dental Negligence cases. Get in touch with our team today.
