£750,000 for patients left in agony by top surgeon who worked as government advisor

By Jo Macfarlane Last updated at 1:27 AM on 7th August 2011

Investigation: But Manjit Bhamra is still working in the NHS

Five patients have been paid a total of £750,000 compensation by an NHS hospital after they were left in agony and with permanent mobility problems following surgery by orthopaedic specialist Manjit Bhamra.

Mr Bhamra, who has advised the Government on hip replacements and fractures, is being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) but is still working in the NHS. There are now calls for all operations he carried out to be reviewed.

One patient, Wayne Pickering, 59, had his pelvis fractured during surgery which damaged a major nerve and left him in so much permanent pain he has been unable to work since.

Another patient, a 23-year-old woman who needed a hip replacement, was given the wrong implant which was then inserted incorrectly, leaving her needing extensive surgery to revise the problems and a lifelong disability.

A third patient in her 50s woke up after a routine hip operation with one leg longer than the other. The subsequent pain was so bad that she had to have her entire hip joint removed for nearly three months before it could be corrected.

The two other patients receiving payouts have not agreed to have details of their claims released.

All have now received substantial out-of-court settlements after Rotherham District Hospital in South Yorkshire, where the operations were carried out between 2005 and 2007, admitted liability.

The individual sums cannot be disclosed. It is understood several more complaints are awaiting investigation.

Five patients received substantial payouts after receiving treatment from Bhamra at Rotherham District Hospital

Mr Bhamra, 55, left the hospital in September 2007, before the complaints emerged. He is now employed by the nearby Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield and also works for the private Care UK group in Southampton and London.

Mr Pickering, from Doncaster, had surgery on his hip carried out by Mr Bhamra in February 2006 and underwent a repair operation in 2009.

He said: I went into hospital expecting to come out the other side in ¬better shape. Instead, I found myself in agony and unable to work.’

Solicitor Tim Annett, from law firm Irwin Mitchell which has brought the claims by Mr Pickering and other patients, said all operations carried out by Mr Bhamra should be reviewed.

Assurances needed to be given ‘that the same situation cannot be allowed to happen again’, he added.

Walid Al-Wali, chief medical officer for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said the hospital had referred Mr Bhamra to the GMC after concerns emerged.

‘We understand the investigation is still on-going,’ he added.

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