A PATIENT had a swab left inside their body and another was injected with botox in the wrong limb in a string of serious incidents recorded by Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan hospitals in just two months.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) reported 35 serious incidents to the Welsh Government in March and April.

The incidents in which a patient underwent a botox injection procedure on the wrong leg, and another in which a swab was retained inside a patient undergoing abdominal surgery, are being managed by the health board as “never events”.

Never events are classed as serious, largely preventable incidents which should not have happened.

There were also six deaths of patients known to mental health services, and it is thought the coroner will conclude suicide in four of these cases.

In another incident, an investigation is underway to review the appropriateness of an assessment by a speech and language therapist involving a patient known to mental health services who died following a choking incident.

Serious incidents – events such as unexpected or avoidable deaths, permanent harm to patients, visitors or members of the public, or incidents which threaten an organisation’s ability to deliver ongoing healthcare – are regularly published by the health board and reported to Welsh Government.

The majority of the incidents were recorded at the University Hospital of Wales followed by University Hospital Llandough.

A Cardiff and Vale UHB meeting heard on May 30 that the never events were immediately reported to Welsh Government and are being analysed, and all serious incidents are being monitored by the board and its committees.

A health board report says: “The majority of reported incidents cause no harm or minor harm to patients and this is within the context of well over a million contacts by patients with healthcare services each year.”

The health board also publishes the complaints it receives. 

In one complaint, a patient said they had their surgery cancelled because they had chewing gum – even though the guidance they received did not specifically advise patients that they could not have gum before surgery.

In response, the health board says it has reviewed the information sheets and corrected the guidance given.