A MAN says he woke from hernia surgery to a doctor whispering: "I'm terribly sorry, we made a mistake." Tom Hadrys, 63, was only half conscious following the operation so put it down to a post-procedure blur. But 105 minutes later he re-entered the operating theatre with medical staff in a panic.
It transpired the surgeon had accidentally left a medical specimen bag inside his stomach, as well as part of Tom's bowel he had cut out. Both were extracted successfully, but Tom is still plagued by related issues eight years later. The incident, at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in 2016, was classed as a ' never event ' - meaning it should never have happened.
Tom received a £15,000 settlement and an apology. Professor Katie Urch, chief medical officer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our surgery staff are committed to delivering the best, safest care to our patients, often in challenging situations. "Surgeons do not work as individuals, they work collaboratively in teams.
"Those teams are highly skilled, doing complex surgery that is never without some risk. "Their outcomes are continuously and closely monitored - both internally and externally - and whenever our care falls short of our high standards, we take immediate action to learn and improve." Tom was in bed on a recovery ward when the effects of his general anaesthetic started to wear off.
In a slight drowsy blur, he remembers being approached by a doctor. "I was conscious, and I he.
