Patients affected by medical mistakes at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust have received over £4 million in surgical error compensation since 2019, newly released figures show.
According to data obtained by Medical Negligence Assist, the trust has paid out £4,102,307 to patients who filed claims following surgical errors. The highest annual payout occurred in 2023/24, reaching £1,310,551.
The trust, which serves more than 500,000 people across Bristol and North Somerset, has seen fluctuating claim numbers, with a peak of 22 in 2019/20, a drop to eight in 2020/21, and a rise to 12 cases again in 2023/24.
Severe Impact of Surgical Mistakes
Surgical errors—ranging from wrong-site operations to leaving surgical instruments inside the body—can lead to devastating consequences. Patients may suffer chronic pain, emotional trauma, or long-term disability, often requiring legal redress through NHS Resolution, the government-backed compensation scheme.
Gareth Lloyd, a medical negligence solicitor at JF Law, said: “The chances of a patient suffering a surgical error are remote, yet every operation carries with it a number of risks. If something goes wrong, there can be lifelong consequences.”
National Crisis in Medical Negligence
The issue extends beyond Bristol. Across England, around 12,000 medical negligence claims are filed annually, costing the NHS up to £8 billion—equivalent to 6.7% of its total budget. Over the last five years, 11,700 surgical error claims were submitted nationwide, with 8,753 resolved through compensation.
NHS Resolution identified treatment delays and procedural failures as the most common causes of such claims. In many cases, patients experienced unnecessary pain—the leading injury type cited in 1,990 settled claims.
Complexity of Surgical Negligence Claims
While some may view surgical mistakes as clear-cut cases, Lloyd warns they are often complex and require thorough legal and medical scrutiny.
He cited one case involving a gallbladder removal in which a surgeon mistakenly severed a patient’s hepatic artery. “That isn’t a known complication,” Lloyd noted, “hence a successful case.”
Medical Negligence Assist offers free guidance to affected patients, including a 24-hour helpline and online claim submission form via its website.
Bristol NHS Trust Silent on Claims
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment on the figures or the nature of the compensation claims.
