Revealed: Woman who wrongly had part of spine removed among hundreds of NHS surgical blunders
New data lifts lid on extent of NHS surgical mistakes
- Over 400 serious surgical mistakes, termed "never events”, occurred in NHS hospitals between April 2024 and March 2025.
- The incidents encompassed 46 operations on the wrong body part and multiple cases where surgical instruments were left inside patients.
- One patient suffered permanent spinal cord damage after a surgeon mistakenly removed parts of her vertebrae instead of operating on her cervical rib.
- The Royal College of Surgeons has urged NHS hospitals to thoroughly investigate the increase in these incidents to prevent their recurrence.
- The NHS said that these incidents are rare but are investigated for learning and improvement.