Shropshire patient has wrong tissue removed in surgery
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have launched an investigation
Last updated 13th Oct 2023
A patient who had surgery at one of Shropshire’s acute hospitals has received an apology after the wrong tissue was removed.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident, which has been classed as a ‘never event’ – the name given to incidents that are considered so serious they should never happen.
A report presented to the trust’s board of directors at a meeting on Thursday said a full apology was given after the procedure in July, and the patient’s questions will be considered during the investigation.
It explained that two lesions had been identified for removal one at a time, but the wrong lesion was then removed during the first operation.
The report added that the patient was “a little anxious but understood that lesions did need to be removed”, and plans were made for a further procedure to remove the correct lesion.
There were also 11 ‘serious incidents’ recorded that month between the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital, along with eight in August, the report said.
Full investigations are underway into the incidents, which included a delayed diagnoses, medication errors, a number of falls resulting in fractures and head injuries, and a “missed opportunity to identify psychosis”.
The report also details the 11 serious incident investigations that were concluded in July and the eight that were closed in August.
A number of cases involved child patients, with concerns raised over how deterioration in their condition was monitored and escalated.
A sick child's Paediatric Early Warning Scoring was also found to have been calculated incorrectly in three separate cases and the trust said improvements have been made in this area.