Two patients 'nearly had surgery' without proper consent
Two patients 'nearly had surgery' without proper consent
One had already been anaesthetised by the time the error was discovered, we understand
University Hospital of Wales in Heath, Cardiff
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne )
Two patients at a troubled hospital reportedly came close to going under the knife without giving proper consent. One of the patients at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales was already under anaesthetic by the time staff realised the error "at the very last moment", WalesOnline understands.
A whistleblower said the hospital - the biggest in Wales - has recently had near misses involving patients entering operating theatres "without a consent form, or with the wrong consent form". In two cases, they said, three stages of the checking process failed before theatre staff eventually noticed the mistake.
Cardiff and Vale University health board said it is aware of two "occurrences of patients arriving to theatres without the appropriate consent forms" and has launched a "comprehensive review" of checking procedures to "ensure this is more robust".
A spokeswoman for the health board said: "There are a series of processes and checks in place to ensure no patient undergoes a procedure without the appropriate consent. On each of these occasions, checks at the beginning of the pathway to theatre failed.
"However, final checks prior to the commencement of the surgical procedure identified the error. This meant that neither patient underwent a surgical procedure without consent."
Last month we revealed multiple staff members at the hospital were under investigation over claims that strangers were allowed in to watch surgery on unaware patients. The health board confirmed it was probing the "deeply concerning" allegations.
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And earlier this year we revealed the health board was undertaking a "comprehensive service review" of the hospital's operating theatres after claims of a toxic culture, racism, bullying and drug use.
Whistleblowers voiced anger that the health board had not properly investigated concerns dating back to 2021 when staff members allegedly allowed their friends and family into theatres to watch surgery with no background checks, and without telling patients.
A Welsh Government spokesman told us those concerns "must be taken seriously" but did not respond to calls from former leader of the Welsh Tories, Andrew RT Davies, for an independent investigation.
In January, the health board's chief operating officer Paul Bostock wrote an internal letter stating that discussions with more than 60 staff had made "clear there are clearly deep-seated issues which we will address in order to make theatres an attractive place to work".
Whistleblowers have linked "huge" staff turnover to alleged bullying. We previously reported allegations that one member of staff had been suspended after saying a group of Indian nurses needed name badges as they "all looked the same".
Sources claimed the staff member returned from suspension and took diversity classes but was then suspended again over further allegations of bullying and racism.
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Addressing the consent concerns, a health board spokeswoman said: "Cardiff and Vale University health board operates on approximately 2,500 patients each month across 40 theatres. Most theatre procedures are undertaken without incident."
She added: "Our focus remains on providing safe and high-quality care, and patient safety is always of utmost importance to us. We would like to remind colleagues of the importance of the health board's 'speaking up safely' process, which enables all colleagues to speak up and raise any concerns they have with the confidence that their voices will be heard, and suggestions acted upon."
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