Compensation for Wrong Surgical Procedure
The NHS 'Never Events' data recently published for 2023 - 2024 includes the data for 'wrong' surgical procedures. If such an occurrence causes the patient to suffer a poor long-term outcome, it may be possible to make a claim for compensation.
Wrong procedure or wrong site?
According to the NHS publication of 'never events' between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024, 179 occurrences related to wrong site surgery, ranging from an incorrect site block, to an injection to the wrong organ or a procedure being carried out to the wrong site or the wrong side. Thirteen events related to the wrong procedure having been carried out.
The impact of such a fundamental error will, inevitably, vary depending on the nature of the procedure, the type of injection, the part of the body affected or another variable. For many patients, the error may make very little difference to their long-term health and well-being.
For a different patient undergoing a different procedure, however, the outcome could be very different, leaving them facing a range of distressing and debilitating problems which would never have occurred without the fundamental error having been made.
The right to compensation
If a patient suffers an adverse outcome following a surgical procedure which would not have been the case had the procedure been carried out in the correct way to the correct location or anatomical structure, they are legally entitled to claim compensation for the consequences.
Occasionally, the outcome may prove devastating, rendering the patient unable to work or reliant on care.
If this has happened to you or a loved one, you should speak to a solicitor.
Making a claim for compensation for medical negligence
Compensation claims for medical negligence are, not surprisingly, extremely complex. Even when the error is so stark and obvious as a 'never event', the nature and extent of its impact on the patient requires meticulous assessment by experienced experts.
Where appropriate, a successful claim would incorporate the financial losses which the negligence has caused the patient to suffer, such as a loss of income or the costs of care.
If you think that you may have a claim, don't delay in contacting a legal specialist. There is a three-year deadline for claims, before which a thorough investigation needs to be carried out.
Speak to a legal specialist
Glynns Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with a wealth of experience in these complicated claims.
Contact us today to talk to a solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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