Leeds NHS trust pays out over operation error by disgraced heart surgeon

Carrie Wright died 11 years after she was operated on by Nihal Weerasena at Leeds General Infirmary to repair a heart defect when she was a nine-year-old girl.

Mr Weerasena was struck-off in January after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) found that he showed “reckless disregard” for patient safety.

Lawyers acting for Carrie’s family have confirmed that Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust has paid £430,000 in compensation.

A spokesman for the firm Hodge Jones & Allen said that Carrie suffered severe brain damage as a result of the operation in 2003.

She was unable to walk or stand unaided, had very limited speech and required an electric wheelchair as well as a range of other specialist aids.

Carrie died in December 2014, aged 20, as a result of complications from her injuries.

Her mother, Dawn Clayton, said: “Prior to the operation, Carrie was just like any other active nine-year old girl.

“She left me early on the day of the operation and came back from surgery that evening changed forever.

“Yet she was not deterred, she was determined to live her life, going away to college and passing her exams.

“We were so proud of her.

“Yet all the time when we were adjusting to a new life with Carrie and fighting to make sure she received the right care, we were also in a long, hard battle with the hospital for them to admit liability.

“I only received a letter of apology last year, some 13 years after the operation.

“I have always felt that they wanted to sweep this matter under the carpet.”

Ms Clayton said: “I can only wonder if there are other cases like Carrie’s that have gone unreported and whether closer investigation by the hospital could have prevented these later cases from happening.

“It has been horrendous for our family to lose Carrie in the way that we did, this has been exacerbated by the long battle we have had with the hospital to get recognition of their failings.

“The toll has been immeasurable and my heart goes out to all those who have also suffered at the hands of Dr Weerasena.”

Andrew Harrison, from Hodge Jones & Allen, said he believed that the hospital did not investigate the circumstances surrounding Carrie’s operation, which took place years before the cases involved in Mr Weerasena’s tribunal.

He said: “It is profoundly worrying that a hospital could let such an event go unchecked, particularly given the later events that have now come to light.”

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust referred Mr Weerasena to the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2014 following a review of its paediatric care services the previous year.

Children’s heart operations at Leeds General had previously been stopped for a fortnight at Easter 2013 on the orders of NHS England, after safety concerns about the unit. But a report later concluded the unit did not have excessive mortality rates.

In January, tribunal chairman Dr Priya Iyer said: “The tribunal is of the opinion that Mr Weerasena, although an experienced doctor, has caused harm to patients in the past and continues to pose a risk to patients in the future.

“Spanning from 2008 to date, Mr Weerasena demonstrated a persistent lack of insight into the seriousness of his misconduct and its consequences.

“The tribunal determined that Mr Weerasena showed reckless disregard for patient safety.”

Speaking today, Dr Yvette Oade, chief medical officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “On behalf of the hospital I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family of Carrie, and deeply regret that we failed to provide the standard of care that she and her family were entitled to expect.

“I welcome the fact that this settlement has now been agreed with the NHS Litigation Authority.”