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A screw head, a throat pack and swabs are some of the 37 items reportedly left behind in patients after surgery at Kent’s hospitals.
The data from a Freedom of Information Request to NHS Resolution, the national health litigation authority, reveals the number of clinical claims and incidents at the county’s hospitals relating to a “retained instrument post-operation” or a “foreign body left in situ”.
According to NHS England, a retained foreign object post-procedure is when an object is left inside a patient after an operation when it should have been removed.
It is called a “never event” which the NHS defines as a “serious, largely preventable patient safety incident” that may identify possible weaknesses in how key safety measures are applied.
Separately, NHS trusts were approached for their recorded incidents involving a retained item.
The data, which covers the period of April 2019 to the end of September 2024, was obtained by Medical Negligence Assist, a company providing legal support to potential victims of suspected medical errors.
It revealed Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust reported 15 incidents involving a retained item post-procedure.
Swabs were reported on four occasions, vaginal packs and broken pieces of equipment on three occasions and a sponge retractor or sheath on two occasions.
The top of an epidural catheter and a ribbon gauze were also retained on one occasion each in this period.
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust told KentOnline two claims had been received and settled.
It also acknowledged the reporting of 15 incidents involving retained items over the past five years.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “However, it’s important to clarify that one of these incidents was related to another organisation and a further incident was classified as a near-miss, as the missing item was safely located.”
The hospital trust with the highest number of foreign object claims was Medway, which had nine compensation claims.
The total cost totalled £278,164, with £81,665 being paid out in damages, £167,350 to cover the claimants’ legal fees, and £29,149 for the NHS to cover its own legal costs.
Jayne Black, chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very sorry to any patients and their families who did not receive the high-quality care we aim to provide.
“In the very rare cases where things go wrong, we are committed to learning from incidents to help prevent any reoccurrences and working with staff to improve patient care.”
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) reported eight foreign body incidents between April 2019 and September 2024, with five compensation claims in total.
Reported retentions at EKHUFT included three swabs, a plastic cannula and a throat pack.
The trust paid out £172,675 in damages with an average of £34,355 per settled compensation claim. The cost to the trust, including legal fees reached £414,669.
A spokesperson for EKHUFT said: “We are sorry that we did not provide these patients with the high standards of care they had a right to expect.
“Each of these incidents has been investigated in line with the national framework, and robust changes to our processes have been implemented as a result.
“We are committed to learning and making continual improvements to our services to prevent future incidents and give our patients the best care at all times.”
At Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) there were five incidents reported involving a retained foreign object.
One incident was deemed a “never event” after a patient was referred by their GP after experiencing “foul-smelling” discharge four weeks after having a baby.
It was found that a “large swab” had been left inside the patient. In the other cases, patients had a suture tag, a guidewire and a screw head left inside them.
Data from the Freedom of Information request revealed fewer than five clinical claims at the trust.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust cares for almost one million patients every year and our priority is to provide safe, high quality care to everyone attending our hospitals.
“While never events are very rare when they do happen the Trust carries out a detailed review to ensure any learning is shared and improvements are made.”
As of the end of the financial year 2023/24 there were 179 open claims and incidents across all NHS trusts in England.
Open cases are not yet concluded and may or may not result in an award for damages.
The data was collected by Medical Negligence Assist, who learned that NHS trusts across England paid out a total of £14,839,727 in damages between 2019/20 and 2023/24, solely due to claims related to retained objects.
Clinical negligence solicitor Sophie Cope said: "Foreign body cases are thankfully not too common but, when they happen, they can have a significant impact on a person's life.
“If someone suffers avoidable harm due to negligent care, they have a right to seek compensation."