Hip op £4,000 compo payout
A PATIENT has been paid £4,000 compensation after medics left a metal pin in his hip following an operation.
The pay-out came after a surgeon left a guide pin in David Bould's hip during a routine operation at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.
The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital in Holdsforth Road, Hartlepool, has admitted liability and paid an out of court settlement.
Mr Bould, 54, was admitted to the hospital in April last year after being referred for a hip resurfacing operation by his GP.
The operation was planned to help reduce pain in his hip caused by wear and tear.
Although the procedure was successful, a follow-up x-ray the next day showed a guide pin had been left in Mr Bould's hip and he had to undergo a second operation to remove it.
It meant medics had to re-enter the wound left from the first operation, causing him severe pain. Mr Bould was also kept in hospital for longer than first planned.
He said he contacted the Patient Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS) once he was discharged from hospital and he decided to pursue the compensation claim.
Mr Bould, a duty manager at Darlington Borough Council, said: "I was anxious about having my operation in the first place and it was a relief to discover it had been successful.
"But to be told that they had made a mistake and would have to operate again was a huge shock."
Mr Bould, from Darlington, added: "I decided to contact Thompsons Solicitors as I was concerned that this sort of thing might happen to someone else. I hope as a result of my actions that the hospital has been able to review its procedures."
Leanne McRobb, from Thompsons Solicitors, which acted for Mr Bould, said: "It is unfortunate that Mr Bould had to undergo a second operation.
"If a swab and instrument count had been carried out in the operating theatre it would have saved Mr Bould a lot of pain and discomfort.
"Fortunately the hospital has now informed us it has put new procedures in place to avoid this type of incident."
During the surgery, a count procedure for swabs was in place and carried out, but did not cover the guide pins.
Since the mix-up, the count procedure has been revised to include all instrumentation used in operations.
Dr Peter Gill, medical director for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We learn from incidents and we now have systems in place to ensure as far as humanly possible this will not happen again."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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