Hospital apology over op mistake
11/02/2010
A nurse was left in agony after a 7in (18cm) set of forceps were left inside her after a routine operation.
Donna Bowett, 39, is taking legal action against Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust after the incident at Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, West Midlands.
The trust has since issued an "unreserved" apology and said it has taken steps to improve safety standards since the incident.
Ms Bowett told The Sun newspaper she was left in "horrendous" pain by the mistake after undergoing surgery to remove her gall bladder at the hospital last year.
She told the newspaper she underwent an MRI scan before the forceps were finally revealed by an X-Ray.
"I still can't believe it's happened in this day and age," the mother of four said. "It might have damaged my internal organs."
In a statement, the chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, John Rostill, said: "We would like to apologise unreservedly to Ms Bowett for any pain or distress she has suffered.
"We strive to provide the safest, highest quality care possible for all our patients, and in the 12 months since this extremely unusual incident we have taken a number of steps to further improve standards of safety.
"The matter is currently the subject of a claim brought by her solicitors and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further in those circumstances"
Copyright © Press Association 2010