I was shocked but not surprised to learn that, over the last few years, the number of surgical mistakes made within the NHS has increased dramatically.
Indeed, there was a 47% increase in patients suffering an “unintentional cut, puncture, perforation or haemorrhage” during operations performed on the NHS between 2003 and 2008. In addition, more patients had foreign objects left inside of them, resulting in the requirement for further surgery, in 2008 than they did in 2003.
Whilst Norman Lamb’s (the health spokesman for the Liberal Democrats) statement that doctors and nurses are under significant amounts of pressure is understandable in this day and age, we must have in the forefront of our minds that a patient’s right to receive high quality and safe healthcare is of absolute paramount importance.
Stephensons Solicitors LLP has an extremely experienced clinical negligence team and we would encourage anybody who has been the victim of a surgical mistake to contact us to discuss the incident further.
By clinical negligence solicitor, Sonia Marshall
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