When one considers the vast number of surgical procedures carried out in Northern Ireland every year it is perhaps not surprising that errors can and do arise. While there are not always grounds for a claim in negligence to be pursued, particularly if the error is deemed to be a ‘recognised complication of surgery’, in some cases however, such errors could have been avoided and where the surgery is found to have fallen below an acceptable standard, a medical negligence claim may be possible.
Examples of errors which occur prior to and during surgery include the following…
Injury to blood vessels/other organs
Infection sustained during surgery, such as MRSA
Items left behind during surgery, such as a piece of equipment
Surgery on an incorrect body part/organ/vessel
Surgery on the wrong patient due to errors in notes and records
Failure to adequately review notes and records and in particular pre-operative scans and images.
In addition to the above, errors can occur where medical students/junior doctors are permitted to operate without the appropriate level of training, experience or supervision.
If you have sustained injury, loss or damage as a result of a surgical error, you may have grounds to pursue a medical negligence claim provided it can be shown that the error could have been avoided and ultimately resulted in injury, pain, discomfort over and above that which you would have experienced as a result of the surgery itself.
Worthingtons Solicitors have represented injured parties in a wide range of cases involving surgical errors which have resolved successfully. We will advise on the availability of legal aid and legal expenses insurance.
028 9181 1538 
