Public at risk from blunders by medics
DOCTORS injected a patient in the wrong eye and treated the wrong shoulder of another.
A Scottish Mail on Sunday investigation has uncovered a catalogue of blunders in which NHS patients have mistakenly undergone incorrect procedures or had the wrong part of their body treated.
In one case, a patient was scheduled for a probe to examine the lower portion of their bowel – but medics mistakenly inserted a probe into their throat instead.
The list of so-called ‘wrong site’ procedures includes spinal surgery, a biopsy and hernia treatment. In the past five years, at least 75 incidents have been recorded by health boards across Scotland in which mistakes were made.
Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘It’s alarming that this number of serious mistakes were allowed to occur. But what’s really important is that lessons are learned from these errors and those responsible are held accountable.’
The Scottish Mail on Sunday obtained the data via freedom of information legislation. Between 2011-12 and 2015-16, 21 females and 16 males received incorrect treatment when seen for tumour, spinal and eye surgery, biopsy extraction and lesion removal.
In a particularly shocking incident recorded by NHS Fife in March, an endoscopy was carried out at the wrong end of the patient. A colonoscopy would have examined the lower digestive system but doctors instead carried out a gastroscopy – in which a tiny camera is inserted via a tube down the throat.
An NHS Fife spokesman said: ‘Over the last five years, there have been two instances where the wrong endoscopy procedure was carried out.
‘NHS Fife strives to continually improve its practices – and each instance is always robustly investigated.’
NHS Scotland national clinical director Jason Leitch said: ‘Although highly unusual, unfortunately mistakes can occasionally happen.
‘Where they do, we expect NHS boards to act swiftly to rectify errors and learn lessons to prevent incidents happening again.