Dozens of people have been left with impaired vision, pain and discomfort after undergoing operations provided by a private healthcare company at an NHS hospital.
One 84-year-old man claimed he has lost his sight and his family is calling for a full independent inquiry after it emerged that half of the 60 patients who underwent surgery suffered complications. The routine cataract operations were carried out by the private provider in May to help to reduce a backlog at Musgrove Park hospital in Taunton, Somerset. But the hospital’s contract with Vanguard Healthcare was terminated only four days after 30 patients, most elderly and some frail, reported complications, including blurred vision, pain and swelling. Some of those who suffered complications, including the 84-year-old man, have contacted lawyers to discuss seeking compensation, which raises the prospect of an NHS hospital picking up the bill for procedures done by a private health company.
Full story in The Guardian, 14 August 2014
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