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Wrong patient receives laser eye surgery following hospital mix-up

Laser eye treatment was given to the wrong patient following a mix-up at a hospital.

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Laser eye treatment was given to the wrong patient

The error happened when the wrong patient entered the treatment room at the University of North Midlands Hospital Trust’s ophthalmology department when called, before undergoing treatment.

The gaffe has been classed as a ‘never event’ – something that all hospitals should avoid – and will now be investigated by health bosses.

It was one of two never events at the trust, which runs County Hospital in Stafford and the Royal Stoke Hospital, during the final quarter of 2017/18, a report revealed.

The other saw a patient given a nerve block in the wrong part of their body when receiving anaesthetic.

However, the mistake, which saw the nerve block given in the patient’s right arm, was spotted before surgery and the patient was informed.

The trust said neither of the patients came to any harm by the never events and that both cases were being taken ‘seriously’ and were under review.

The correct patient was given laser surgery when the error was flagged up by staff present.

Spokesman Thomas Peace said: “UHNM has strict protocols to investigate fully any serious incidents that are recorded in our hospitals.

“Although there was no harm to either patient as a result of the incidents, we take all incidents of this nature extremely seriously. Our staff work closely throughout the investigation period to understand why each incident occurs and how we can improve our practices.”

The report also revealed that action had now been taken following another never event in January 2017 when a surgical swab was left inside a patient’s abdomen after surgery.

Bosses have pledged to improve communication and introduce new handover sheets in an attempt to prevent a similar incident from happening again.