NHS payout for woman after 'woeful' spinal surgery

Judith Mills said she is incontinent and virtually unable to walk

A woman whose spinal operation was described as "woeful" is to receive substantial compensation.

Hussien El-Maghraby's surgery on Judith Mills left her with nerve damage and bladder incontinence.

Mrs Mills, who spent seven months in hospital, discovered the details of the botched operation following a BBC investigation.

Surgery providers Ramsay Healthcare said he did not provide the level of care patients have the right to expect.

Mrs Mills was operated on in May 2014 by Mr El-Maghraby, whose consultant job is at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire. The procedure was carried out for the NHS at the privately run Woodland Hospital in Kettering.

The patient was left with nerve damage to her right leg and bladder incontinence following the procedure.

Liability has been accepted by NHS Resolution and an interim payment of £50,000 will be made to assist Mrs Mills in her living requirements.

"I can't walk the dogs, I can't garden, I am a virtual prisoner in my own home," she said.

"I trusted him, I thought he was such a nice man."

Her husband Brian, who is now a full-time carer, added: "We can get some help now - put in a wet room. Maybe with assistance we might get to Australia to see our daughter."

Hussien El-Maghraby has since been referred to the General Medical Council

A report by expert witness Rikin Trivedi said: "The performance of the surgical intervention itself was woefully below an acceptable standard, with only one of the five placed pedicle screw implants that would be regarded as well placed."

Mrs Mills was transferred to University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire where further surgery was performed.

She was eventually referred to London for further specialist surgery.

Lawyer Kashmir Uppal said one of the worst aspects of the case identified by the experts was the lack of openness by Mr El-Maghraby.

Concerns about Mrs Mills' case were first brought to University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire Trust's attention by another surgeon, Munchi Choksey who believed the care was appalling.

The trust commissioned an independent report from Neil Kitchen at University College London Hospitals which concluded that "the level of care given by Mr El-Maghraby was appropriate to that expected from a consultant neurosurgeon".

The BBC showed scans of Mrs Mills' back to doctors

The BBC obtained its own report from consultant, Nick Birch in 2019. He branded the screw placement as an unacceptable rate of failure and called for an investigation by the General Medical Council.

Ramsay Healthcare said Woodland Hospital prides itself on delivering exceptional care.

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"Woodland Hospital... is truly sorry that on this occasion we, and the consultant, did not provide the level of care that our patients have the right to expect.

"As with any investigation, the findings and outcomes have been shared so that lessons are learned and we are committed, along with our neurological team, to ensure we are continually improving our services to prevent this from happening again," a spokesperson said.

The BBC has made repeated attempts to contact Mr El-Maghraby for comment.

He had his operating privileges withdrawn by Woodland Hospital in 2019.