Patients settle £750,000 surgical claims

The claims relate to surgery carried out by Manjit Bhamra, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Rotherham Hospital between 2005 and 2007, Sheffield-based law firm Irwin Mitchell said.

Lawyers said they suspected more patients might have been affected by the work of Mr Bhamra, who has since left the hospital.

Wayne Pickering, 59, from Cantley in Doncaster, underwent hip revision surgery in February 2006 on his right hip.

It is alleged the surgeon fractured Mr Pickering’s pelvis and damaged the sciatic nerve during the operation. Despite identifying the fracture it was not repaired and Mr Pickering was left with an unstable hip, lawyers said.

As a result of the surgery in 2006, Mr Pickering’s mobility was seriously impaired and he was unable to return to work. He also developed a chronic pain syndrome.

A repair operation was only done after his lawyers secured an interim payment in May 2009.

Mr Pickering said: “I went into hospital expecting to come out the other side in better shape. Instead I found myself in agony and unable to work because I couldn’t even walk properly.

“I just hope that the hospital makes sure it has the right people for the job because I would hate for more people to go through what I, and sadly others, have had to endure.”

Irwin Mitchell said the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability for the negligent surgery in Mr Pickering’s case. Lawyers negotiated a settlement on Mr Pickering’s behalf to cover his ongoing care and rehabilitation costs as well as lost earnings.

In other cases, it is alleged Mr Bhamra used the wrong hip prosthesis on a 23-year-old woman, inserting it incorrectly. The error left the woman needing a complicated revision operation to revise the botched surgery. She has now been left with a lifelong disability which restricts her mobility.

The law firm also represented a 51-year-old woman who had a hip replacement operation in 2006. She was left with a significant discrepancy between the length of her legs, the law firm said.

After three years of pain and problems she had a two-stage revision surgery in 2009. She had to have her hip joint removed for 10 weeks before it was able to be replaced, and has now been left with permanent pain and a lifelong restriction in mobility.

Tim Annett, from Irwin Mitchell, said: “Mr Pickering’s case is one of a number we have successfully concluded relating to surgery carried out by Mr Bhamra, and it is concerning to have this number involving the same surgeon.

“Fortunately we were able to obtain an interim payment to pay for the revision surgery Mr Pickering required, although he should not have had to wait three years after the original surgery.

“The trust needs to provide assurances that the same situation cannot be allowed to happen again. Patient safety should be the number one priority of the NHS. It is not just the cost in terms of claims but also the cost to the patient and to the NHS of the additional treatment required.”

The chief medical officer for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, Walid Al-Wali, confirmed Mr Bhamra was employed as a full time orthopaedic surgeon until September 2007.

He said following an investigation he was referred to the General Medical Council and added: “We understand the GMC investigation is ongoing. Therefore we cannot make any further comment.

“While we would expect any issues associated with Mr Bhamra’s treatment to have emerged well before now, any patient who has a concern should contact their doctor for advice.”