Woman who wrongly had part of spine removed among hundreds of NHS surgical blunders

A woman who mistakenly had part of her spine removed is among hundreds of patients who have been the victims of NHS surgical blunders this year.

New figures show there were more than 400 serious surgical mistakes carried out on patients over the past year – including the incorrect organ being removed, the wrong body part being operated on or surgical instruments being left inside a patient’s body. In some cases, entire operations were carried out on the wrong patient.

The Royal College of Surgeons has now warned that the NHS needs to understand what has led to the rise in incidents to stop these mistakes being repeated.

Among the victims is Gill, who was advised to have surgery on her right cervical rib after struggling with excruciating pain. But the surgeon performed the wrong operation and ended up removing portions of her vertebrae, leaving her with permanent damage to her spinal cord.

“I woke up the following morning and couldn’t feel my arms and my legs and just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what is wrong with me,’” she told The Independent.

The part-time cook was warned by doctors that she might not be able to walk again and was left struggling to work and was unable to continue her active lifestyle, which included dancing. Her movements are limited and she struggles with the function of her right hand.

“The emotions were just horrendous, because when you are told you will never walk again, it’s very daunting,” she added.

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Source: The Independent, 29 June 2025