'Serious breach' claim as unconscious patient falls to floor from operating table at Banbury private hospital

The incident happened at Ramsay Health Care’s Cherwell Hospital – previously known as the Horton Treatment Centre, which conducts private treatment and undertakes orthopaedic operations, such as hip replacements, that are paid for by the NHS.

A source close to the hospital told the Banbury Guardian: “Serious concerns have been raised regarding patient safety protocols after an anaesthetised patient was allowed to roll off the operating table onto the floor due to a lack of supervision by hospital staff.

“The incident occurred prior to the commencement of the scheduled operation, highlighting a critical lapse in pre-procedural care.”

The source said the operation on the patient, a woman who is unnamed, had been cancelled as a result of the fall. She was promptly transferred to Horton A&E for assessment, where she later discharged herself.

“This sequence of events underscores the potential risks associated with inadequate supervision in medical settings, particularly during critical phases such as anaesthesia administration,” the source said.

"Medical professionals classify such incidents as 'never events,' indicating that they are entirely preventable and should never occur in healthcare settings.

“The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of continuous patient monitoring before, during, and after anaesthesia administration to mitigate risks and ensure patient well-being.”

The source said Ramsay Cherwell Hospital administration has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the incident to its employees.

However Ramsay Health told the Banbury Guardian: “The Cherwell Hospital takes the reporting of all patient incidents very seriously. All events are fully investigated and lessons are shared with our teams to ensure we have continuous improvement in the quality of care we provide."

Healthcare professionals have called for a thorough investigation to identify the root causes of the lapse in supervision and to implement corrective measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The source said: “The incident at Ramsay Cherwell Hospital underscores the critical need for robust patient safety protocols and vigilant staff supervision to uphold the highest standards, for which Ramsay Theatre management are ignoring to safe time and increase profits.”

The Ramsay Health operation works out of an NHS owned unit on the Horton General Hospital campus. It was purpose-built in 2006. Its operation was first run by the Swedish company Capio but later taken over by the Australian company, Ramsay Health. The majority of its treatment is orthopaedic operations such as hip replacements but it also does bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery), dermatology, eye care, physiotherapy and diagnostics.

‘Never events’ include operations carried out on the wrong part of the patient’s body, surgical instruments left in the patient after surgery when that equipment/swab/drain should have been removed, using the wrong implant/prosthesis during a surgical procedure, administrating the medication a patient needs the wrong way, misplacement of naso- or oro-gastric tubes and scalding of patients with surgical tools or chemicals.

Patients suffering a ‘never event’ can claim compensation if they suffer harm due to the episode, if those responsible for their care were the cause. The event should have happened within the last three years, or if the patients has become aware of it within the last three years.