ERRORS made while performing surgery at Barnsley Hospital resulted in more than £6.5m being paid out to impacted patients over a five-year period, the Chronicle can reveal.
According to a Freedom of Information request, which asked the hospital to provide details of incidents which had occurred between 2019 and 2024, a total of 86 claims were lodged in the period.
However, of the 86 alleged surgical errors, 63 were found to have been proved and deemed compensation-worthy.
The information shows 2019/20 was the worst year for successful claims with 29, followed by 15 in 2020/21, 16 in 2021/22, nine in 2022/23 and 17 in the last financial year.
The errors - which can include foreign objects left in the body such as surgical instruments and cleaning materials, as well as ‘wrong site surgery’ where patients can be put at a greater risk of infection and additional scarring - cost a total of £6.59m.
Medical negligence solicitor for JF Law, Gareth Lloyd, said: “Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides care for over a quarter of a million people.
“From 2019 to 2024, 86 claims regarding surgical errors were lodged against the trust, 63 of which were settled.
“The chances of a patient suffering a surgical error are remote, yet every operation carries with it a number of risks and if something goes wrong, there can be life-long consequences.
“Surgical errors are unexpected mistakes or accidents that occur during procedures and they are classed as ‘never events’ as they are errors that should not have happened in surgery.
“These errors can have significant physical, emotional and financial consequences for patients as they may require additional treatment and suffer even more pain.
“A person affected by a surgery error can often make a surgical negligence claim against the NHS, where NHS Resolution will pay for their compensation.
“This is a government scheme paid for by NHS trusts that acts as an insurance policy and pays for negligence claims.
Every year, 12,000 medical-related claims are brought against the NHS in England at a cost of £8bn - 6.7 per cent of its entire budget.
Gareth added: “Although they appear on the surface to be straight-forward cases, surgical errors are much more complex than that and can cover a number of situations and outcomes.
“For example, an operation to remove your gallbladder carries with it risks of damage to the bile duct, blood vessels, bowel and intestines.
“If one of these complications happens during the operation, nine times out of ten there is no case, however that doesn’t mean that there is no case at all, it just makes it more difficult to prove.
“I once had a case involving a patient undergoing a gallbladder removal, and during the operation, one of the veins in his abdomen was damaged, which is a known risk and therefore wasn’t seen as a surgical error.
“However, when I got the medical records, it transpired that the performing surgeon had completely severed the client’s hepatic artery, which isn’t a known complication, hence a successful case.”
A Barnsley Hospital spokesperson said the trust is not unique in receiving claims.
“We cannot comment on individual claims, but we note that a number of the claims are historic.
“We will always strive to learn lessons to improve the care we provide for our patients.”
