The hospitals guilty of the most catastrophic blunders: From scalpels left in patients after surgery, to cutting off the wrong limb

 NHS medics are performing country connected the incorrect assemblage portion 3 times a week, connected average, authoritative information suggests.

A full of 334 of what the wellness work dubs 'never-events' - mistakes truthful superior they should ne'er hap -  were recorded betwixt April 2024 and January this year.

Other examples of specified catastrophic blunders see accidental organ removal, performing country connected the incorrect patient, oregon leaving tools similar scalpels wrong patients' bodies. 

They tin besides see incidents similar falls from poorly secured windows oregon prisoners taken to infirmary for aesculapian attraction making an escape. 

Compensation for never-events that permission patients maimed costs the beleaguered wellness work an estimated £800million successful each year.

However, immoderate NHS Trusts person recorded acold much of these superior mistakes than others. 

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust has the astir of immoderate organisation successful England successful the latest data, with 11 specified incidents.

This was followed by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust with 9.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust came joint-third with 8 never-events each.

By incidental type, 'wrong tract surgery' - wherever medics transportation retired a process connected the incorrect assemblage part, and sometimes adjacent the incorrect diligent -  were the astir communal listed successful the latest report. 

Some 151 mistakes of this quality were recorded past year, including 9 wherever the incorrect diligent was operated connected and 32 wherever medics operated connected the incorrect 'side' of the body.

Shockingly determination were besides 2 incidents successful which a diligent had organs removed without immoderate aesculapian need.

While the nonstop details of specified cases person not been revealed successful the NHS report, erstwhile examples person seen men 'accidentally' circumcised and women having reproductive organs removed alternatively of their appendix. 

The 2nd astir communal benignant of mistake was leaving items wrong patients aft surgery, with 92 specified mistakes recorded successful the astir caller year. 

Seven of these were disposable items, similar surgical gloves, portion 16 were for surgical tools similar scalpels and drill bits.

The astir communal point near down aft country was a vaginal swab - a aesculapian instrumentality utilized to instrumentality samples from a patient's genitals to trial for infections. 

Patients receiving the incorrect benignant of implant oregon prosthetic was the adjacent astir communal never-event, with 41 specified incidents.

Examples elaborate successful the NHS study see incorrect hep implants and, successful 1 case, a diligent got the incorrect prosthetic thumb.

Patient outcomes are not recorded successful the NSH report.

However, diligent advocacy groups person antecedently said the interaction these events  person connected victims' lives cannot beryllium underestimated. 

Rachel Power, main enforcement of foundation The Patient's Association, antecedently told this website: 'Patients tin acquisition superior carnal and intelligence effects for the remainder of their lives, and that should ne'er hap to anyone who seeks attraction from the NHS.' 

Officials person repeatedly decried the level of never-events occurring successful the NHS and called for bosses to amended diligent safety. 

In 2014, then-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered hospitals to drastically amended their information grounds to trim 'not acceptable' ne'er events.

At the clip helium lamented that the NHS operates connected the incorrect assemblage portion erstwhile a week, and claimed that trusts were under-reporting the existent standard of the problem. 

Bodies representing aesculapian professionals have blamed NHS staffing levels and resulting pressures for wherefore the wide fig of never-events has remained stubbornly precocious implicit the past decade. 

However, a infirmary spot that records a higher level never-events than others doesn't needfully mean it's much dangerous. 

Larger NHS trusts transportation retired a higher measurement of procedures per year, meaning they volition astir inevitably person much never-events than smaller ones.

Additionally, a spot reporting never-events tin awesome a amended interior information culture, due to the fact that unit are much apt to admit  incidents alternatively than sweeping them nether the rug.

All named trusts were contacted for remark connected their never-ever events data. 

A University Hospitals of Derby and Burton spokesperson said keeping patients harmless was their 'top priority'. 

'Keeping patients harmless is our apical priority, and we execute astir 50,000 operations and implicit 100,000 outpatient procedures each twelvemonth - truthful portion these ne'er events are precise rare, they should ne'er occur, and we sincerely apologise to the patients affected,' they said. 

'We instrumentality ne'er events precise seriously, and successful each lawsuit we undertake a robust probe to larn from what has happened and instrumentality contiguous steps to marque our processes safer.'

The latest NHS study connected never-events is provisional meaning much events could beryllium added oregon reassessed successful the future.