NHS admits accidental vasectomy
A man from Liverpool has been made sterile by surgeon who was supposed to be performing a minor urological operation on him.
What happened?
The patient went into the Royal Liverpool hospital for a minor procedure but was instead given a vasectomy. Medics have since attempted to reverse the error, but it is yet to be known whether or not the operation was a success.
An incident of this type – where a procedure is performed on the wrong body part – is classed as a ‘Never Event’ by health officials. A Never Event is a serious incident that can be avoided by implementing established safety measures. Between April and September last year, there were 148 such incidents reported by NHS England.
Currently an internal investigation into the incident is under way, and the surgeon who performed the operation had been suspended from carrying out further procedures pending the outcome.
The medical director of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust, Dr Peter Williams, said:
“We can confirm that a patient who was scheduled to have a different
minor urological procedure was wrongly given a vasectomy.
“We greatly regret the distress that this has caused him.
We have apologised unreservedly to the patient
and we are offering him our full support.”
If you have been affected by medical negligence, and you would like expert advice, contact the Hampson Hughes Solicitors Medical Negligence Team today on 0151 242 1025 or email
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