Father who was operated on by sacked surgeon tells of 'constant pain' and how he lost his job

It comes after an assessment of his care, carried out as part of a wider review of up to 600 patients operated on by surgeon Mian Munawar Shah at Walsall Manor Hospital, found his treatment did not reach the standards health bosses would expect.

Mr Shah was sacked after hundreds of hospital patients were recalled amid concerns about shoulder operations. He carried out private work for Spire Healthcare and NHS operations at Walsall Manor Hospital and Spire Little Aston between 2010 and 2020.

Some patients have lost the use of their arm and live in constant pain since their operations.

Some even received compensation for botched operations, but Mr Shah continued operating.

Mr Corbally, 35, who used to play rugby for his local club, began to suffer recurrent dislocations of his left shoulder when playing rugby in 2012.

Bosses at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust have apologised after a review found “treatment under Mr Shah did not reach the standards we would expect and felt that this resulted in causing you harm”.

He was referred to Mr Shah and diagnosed with a shoulder injury including ligament damage and bone loss, so underwent latarjet surgery performed by Mr Shah in August 2014. The procedure saw bone grafted from his shoulder blade to build up his shoulder socket.

However, following surgery, Mr Corbally complained of stiffness pain and ongoing problems with pins and needles but, following follow up appointments and X-rays, he was discharged from Mr Shah’s clinic in 2015.

In 2018 Mr Corbally, who was then a plumber, fell at work and attended an appointment with Mr Shah in May 2018, with X-rays showing the latarjet repair from 2015 had fractured and screws holding the bone graft in place had broken.

He underwent a second latarjet procedure in which bone was taken from a donor, but complained of significant ongoing problems including pain, limited movement and ongoing pins and needles.

Mr Corbally said he still continues to suffer with symptoms and has undergone further medical reviews and been told he may need further surgery.

In a letter to Mr Corbally following a review of his care, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Walsall Manor Hospital, apologised to him.

The review concluded that his “treatment under Mr Shah did not reach the standards we would expect and felt that this resulted in causing you harm” and found there were not adequate X-rays to be sure the latarjet surgery carried out in 2014 was properly performed.

The procedure failed early with broken screws and a failed bone graft and the letter said these failures didn’t seem to be recognised in follow up appointments before he was discharged.

Symptoms around ongoing numbness were not adequately looked into and the consent for the second latarjet surgery “did not fully outline possible risks of surgery.”

The review also found that an X-ray in June 2015 before Mr Corbally was discharged by Mr Shah showed that a screw had broken, and the bone graft had not fixed, although there was no documentation to say he had been informed of this.

When he returned to see Mr Shah in 2018, the surgeon considered that the fall had caused the broken screw, the review said, but, it added the appearance of X-rays were very similar to those from June 2015.

The specialist who reassessed Rhys’ care was concerned that when he was discharged it already appeared that the initial latarjet procedure was failing but this did not seem to be recognised.

Mr Corbally, who gave up his career as a gas engineer for an office job teaching gas engineers because of his shoulder issues, said: “My shoulder kept dislocating but initially I put it down to playing rugby.

"I tried to soldier on and cope, but it got to the point where I couldn’t go on and sought medical help.

“When I was told that the bone around my shoulder joint was in effect eroding and I needed surgery, I thought I had an explanation as to my problems.

“However, it didn’t seem to work, and the pain continued to affect my life. I had stopped playing rugby before the second operation as my strength and movement was not up to playing contact rugby.

"Even after my fall and subsequent second operation, I felt like nothing changed for me. My employer was so kind and allowed me to change my role as I could not lift radiators and boilers off the walls. However, I cannot work overtime now as a trainer, which impacts me financially.

“Throughout my appointments with Mr Shah I felt like I had no reason to dispute anything I was told and thought surgery would be the best option and solve my problems. However, it was only when I received the recall that things started to make sense.

“The last few years and coming to terms with everything at times has felt a struggle. I’ve lived in discomfort and pain and had to give up the sport and career I loved. I struggle to do things around the house and with my kids because of my shoulder pain and difficulty with movement. I used to love going to the gym but cannot because I am so restricted now.

“Not knowing what the future may hold and whether I’ll need more surgery is hard to accept.

“I just hope that by speaking out it raises awareness to others who may be in a similar situation.”

In 2020, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust contacted the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), which carried out a general review of surgery, which led to a further review into Mr Shah's individual work.

Following a recommendation by the RCS, the Hospital Trust last year recalled up to 600 patients who underwent shoulder surgery and the Trust subsequently sacked Mr Shah.

Dr Manjeet Shehmar, chief medical officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “External Consultants have almost completed their investigation into certain complex upper limb procedures carried out by Consultant Mr Mian Munawar Shah.

“The review was launched in September 2022 in light of concerns that were raised about certain procedures and, in those cases, where it has been found that harm was caused to patients, we will continue to offer appropriate support to them and their families.

"We have arranged additional reviews as well as further care for those who have needed this.

“Affected patients will have received a letter summarising the findings of the assessment of their care and we thank them for helping us with this review, appreciating that this has been a distressing time for them.

"When the review is fully concluded we will ensure that findings are shared firstly with patients, followed by the public.

“It is almost three years since Mr Shah carried out upper limb surgery at Walsall Manor Hospital and he is no longer employed by the Trust."