Botched elbow operation left Black Country father with 'years of pain'
A father-of-two suffered "years of pain" following a series of botched operations at a Black Country hospital, prompting a review into treatment.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the town's Manor Hospital, has apologised to Gary James after an internal report found there had been a “questionable series of clinical decisions” in his care.
The 58-year-old, from Willenhall, underwent a partial right elbow replacement before having a full joint replacement at the hospital.
But still in pain and struggling to extend his arm two years later, he underwent two further operations - including one in which his elbow fractured.
A serious incident report by trust bosses uncovered a number of issues in his care.
These included “inappropriate” decision making in not promptly referring the father-of-two to a specialist centre before any surgery was performed.
The size of joint implanted during the full elbow replacement was also “incorrect” and “may have contributed to further complications”, the report added.
Mr James, who has now launched legal action against the trust, said: “I had no reason to dispute anything I was told and thought surgery would be the best option and solve my problems.
“However, it didn’t seem to work and the pain continued despite physio and trying to let my elbow heal. There just seemed to be a lot of visits to hospital complaining about my elbow and that it wasn’t improving.
“It got to the point where I sought a second opinion. When the specialist told me he thought there was an issue with my elbow I couldn’t believe it.
“I’ve had years of discomfort and pain and still struggle to bend my arm. You don’t realise how much you need your elbow until you struggle to move it."
The production manager, who is married to Kim, 55, was referred to Walsall Manor in 2013 after experiencing five years of pain and discomfort in his elbow, where he underwent partial replacement surgery.
But the pain did not go away and he received further treatment in 2016 but it still did not fix the problem. There was more surgery in 2018 but it later emerged his elbow was fractured during the treatment.
He has been told he may need further revision surgery and has been referred to a specialist orthopaedic hospital and is awaiting a further review.
Ryan Blake, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Gary has faced an incredibly difficult few years and still experiences pain and mobility issues with his elbow that affect his life.
“While we welcome the trust’s wider internal investigation into upper limb operations, patients like Gary will no doubt have a number of concerns about their care.
“We call on the trust to learn lessons from the issues it has identified in Gary’s case to improve patient care for others. It’s also vital that patients who are part of the review receive the support and answers they deserve.”
A Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust spokeswoman said: “On behalf of the trust I would like to apologise to Mr James for the distress this has caused him. There is currently an investigation ongoing and therefore the trust is unable to comment any further.”
