Six patients at the York Hospital trust had limbs amputated in cases that were later investigated for medical errors.
All the cases happened between 2020 and 2021.
A legal firm claims that this means the “patients had limbs amputated due to medical mistakes” – but the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust disputes that.
FOI requests filed by Accident Claims uncovered numerous cases across the UK where patients had limb amputations that were later the subject of medical neglect investigations.
The York trust, which runs York and Scarborough Hospitals, said there were four such cases in 2020 and two more in 2021.
According to JF Law, which owns the Accident Claims brand, these amputations “were all results of medical negligence”.
It says: “These types of incidents are referred to as ‘never events’ by the NHS and defined as ‘serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if healthcare providers have implemented existing national guidance or safety recommendations’.”
We asked the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust if the figures were accurate.
A spokesperson said: “There are varied reasons why a patient may require a limb amputation, with cases often involving patients with multiple complex conditions.
“None of these amputations were classified as a ‘never event’, but were cases where further investigation was undertaken through the Serious Investigation Procedures in place at the time to identify whether there were opportunities for learning and for improving the quality and safety of patient care in our hospitals.
“These investigations involve the patients themselves and their families to ensure an open and transparent approach.
“None of these investigations identified medical errors which directly caused amputation.”
Nick Banks, head of clinical negligence at JF Law, says: “Losing a limb is life-changing and can be devastating for patients and their families.
“As well as the obvious emotional impact, injuries can cause a bigger financial impact than many households can bear, particularly in the current cost of living crisis, when many are already struggling to make ends meet.”