Surgeon's mesh surgery cost £20m in compensation

A disgraced surgeon whose artificial bowel mesh procedures injured more than 450 patients has cost the NHS more £20m in compensation payments, the BBC has been told.

Bristol surgeon Tony Dixon was removed from the medical register last year for serious misconduct, including performing unnecessary surgeries, using surgical mesh to treat bowl complaints without patient's informed consent, and fabricating patient records.

NHS Resolution confirmed it has paid out £19.12m so far to 245 claimants - and there are hundreds more unsettled claims to be dealt with.

Dixon carried out the treatments, using artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels, at Southmead Hospital and Spire Hospital.

The BBC first revealed allegations made against Dixon in 2017, when many women complained of severe pain following their operations.

Kath Sansom, founder of the patient-led campaign group Sling the Mesh, previously said that women had suffered "horrific complications" such as pain, nerve damage, and mesh erosion - where the mesh slices into nearby organs and tissues.

Dixon used a technique known as mesh rectopexy to treat bowel problems and has promoted it through a series of studies.

Some of his studies have been flagged with formal editorial warnings due to the concerns about the validity of the data.

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Source: BBC News, 20 April 2026