North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) has refuted claims suggesting high numbers of foreign items are being left inside patients, including cannulas, which were accidentally left in one patient’s body eight times.
The data gathered from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to NHS Trusts and NHS Resolution from Medical Negligence Assist, looked at “never events” and revealed 45 reported incidents of foreign items being left inside patients over just over five years.
A patient also retained a cannula on eight occasions, and it appeared numerous times in reports, including drill bits and needles (four times each). Rounding off the list were swabs (three times), stents (twice), surgical patties (numerous occasions), a clamp, a laparoscopic specimen retrieval bag, along with a specimen, foam dressing (twice) and the tip of a syringe.
According to NHS England, a retained foreign object post-procedure – meaning an object being left inside the patient after an operation when it should have been removed – is a ‘never event’. The NHS defines never events as “serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents” that may identify weaknesses in how key safety measures are applied.
However, the NBT says most incidents reported as retained foreign objects within this data do not meet the official definition of a “never event” under NHS guidelines. Contrary to reports of 45 such incidents over five years, NBT clarified that its actual “never event” count stands at just two in 2023/24 and none so far in 2024/25.
Tim Whittlestone, chief medical officer at NBT, emphasised the trust’s commitment to patient safety and its transparent approach to such occurrences.
He stated: “At North Bristol Trust we are committed to providing safe and harm-free care to our patients and give them the best possible health improvement. Retained objects occur in a multitude of clinical settings as part of procedures and routine care, and the Trust has in place safety mechanisms to identify this. In the majority of cases, this does not result in harm to the patients.”
The trust acknowledged that incidents of retained objects had been reported but stressed that robust safety mechanisms exist to identify and address these issues. Whittlestone also noted that these occurrences are used as opportunities for learning and system improvement:
“These incidents have led to a range of learning techniques to identify improvement opportunities, and we offer patient support and discussions on treatment where needed. When these incidents occur, we ensure that the patient is fully informed whether there is harm or not. We are continuing to make the changes needed to improve our care and reduce the number of incidents.”
NBT also highlighted that despite some reports of incidents involving items like cannulas, drill bits, and swabs, the vast majority of cases did not lead to harm. Furthermore, the trust has consistently worked to improve safety protocols, offer patient support, and provide transparent updates on treatment outcomes.
Despite this, NHS Resolution confirmed that the Trust had fewer than five resolved compensation claims against them between 2019/20 and 2023/24. Specific figures were not released in order to protect any claimants’ identities.
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust all joined North Bristol NHS Trust in being sued between one and four times.
Medical Negligence Assist learned that NHS Trusts around England paid out a total of £14,839,727 in damages between 2019/20 and 2023/24, solely due to claims related to retained objects.
A person who suffers unnecessary harm, because the correct standard of care was not provided, could potentially join those who sought medical negligence compensation from the Trusts.
Clinical negligence solicitor Sophie Cope told Medical Negligence Assist: “Foreign body cases are thankfully not too common, but when they happen, they can have a significant impact on a person’s life. If someone suffers avoidable harm due to negligent care, they have a right to seek compensation.”
Sophie added: “A solicitor can help someone get the compensation they deserve for the impact a foreign body retained after surgery has on their physical and mental health. I would encourage anyone who has suffered pain caused by a foreign object to visit www.medicalnegligenceassist.co.uk for advice on whether they could make a claim.”