In March 2023 our expert medical negligence team requested more transparency into the results of an inquiry about spinal surgeon John Bradley Williamson, dealing with negligent treatment that was highlighted. We are searching for clarity and to ensure that everyone who has been affected has been informed and supported appropriately.

Since the request, there has been no published report of the outcomes and it’s been speculated that a number of patients have been asked to be part of an informal review.

As a specialist spinal surgeon, Williamson treated patients for scoliosis at Salford Royal, The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and the nearby private Spire Hospital . He started working at Salford Royal Hospital in 1996 and sacked by the trust in 2015. However, in September 2022, more than 100 of Mr Williamson’s former patients were recalled for an assessment by surgeons at the Northern Care Alliance Trust, which now runs the hospital.

Our team are also aware that The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital may be undertaking their own review of patients who were treated by Mr Williamson whilst they were a child. Patient Claim Line is helping people who are navigating this process so if you are one of these people contact us for a Free assessment.

Patient Claim Line are supporting a former patient who was part of this review and help them understand how they can seek justice for negligent treatment. Our client, now in his 30s, underwent spinal surgery for a pre-existing condition which affects his bones and muscles at Salford Royal Hospital in 2012. In 2022 he received a text asking him to contact Salford Royal to discuss concerns relating to his treatment, and that several failings had been identified, including the use of an out-of-date MRI scan resulting in the screws inserted during the surgery being put in the wrong place. This was reviewed in the investigation and it concluded that had the scan been up to date, the complications experienced by our client ‘may have been preventable’, and that if an MRI scan had been performed before to the second surgery ‘it would have avoided the third surgery and may have seen a more rapid recovery’.

Our client has stated:

“When you go in for surgery of any kind you place your trust, and your health, in the hands of the professionals. You believe that they have your best interests at heart, and that they will do everything in their power to protect you.

It’s extremely difficult to read this report, after so many years, and to learn that so much more could and should have been done to protect me, and many other patients like me.

The impact of the failings identified continue to have a significant impact on me even now, more than a decade later, and I find that very difficult to come to terms with. However, what I find more distressing is the fact that the concerns regarding my surgeon’s practices were raised many times, across many years, including a 2014 internal investigation which was brushed under carpet.

No one should have to go through what we have been through, and I only hope that now that the true extent of the failings have come to light that the Trust acts on its promise to learn important lessons from what happened.”

A The Sunday Times article reported in March 2023 and the follow up in July 2023, this review follows allegations by whistle-blowers of a cover-up by managers and a “toxic culture” within Mr Williamson’s surgery team.

According to the article an internal list produced by concerned clinicians in 2014 describes some of Williamson’s patients being left ‘paralysed’ or in ‘severe pain’ due to misplaced spinal screws, while others being rushed back to theatre for life-saving surgery.

The actions of Mr Williamson have been linked to the death of a 17-year-old who died during surgery from a catastrophic loss of blood at Salford Royal Hospital. Commenting in the Manchester Evening News, the Northern Care Alliance Trust confirmed that a spinal patient safety ‘look back review’ was initiated to ‘investigate patient safety concerns raised in respect of a Consultant Spinal surgeon who previously worked at Salford Royal’.

Christian Beadell, Head of Group Actions at Patient Claim Line, has said: “Our client has had to wait more than a decade for this matter to be taken seriously, and for the actions of Mr Williamson in relation to his care, and the care of others included within this report, to undergo a full investigation.

The length of time this has taken is completely at odds with the NHS’s commitment to its duty of candour and, needless to say, those involved will have found it extremely difficult to discover the true extent of the failings identified in the care they received, which may have resulted in life changing complications.

The findings of the report will have also caused concern for other patients of Mr Williamson, whose treatments pre-date the scope of this investigation. We are calling for an independent review into both the actions of the surgeon, and into the Trust’s response.

Mr Williamson had worked at the Trust since 1991, and so arguably the majority of his patients will have been operated on prior to the scope of this investigation.”

What are the next steps?

Patient Claim Line are one of the leading medical negligence firms and have vast experience dealing with groups of people who have been affected by the same negligence from medical professionals. Not only do our clients want clarity about what happened and to seek justice for their suffering; but also bringing a claim to ensure that this is prevented from happening in the future. You can contact us for a free initial chat to talk through your options.

Have you been impacted?

If you have been affected by treatment from Mr Williamson and want to know where you stand, we are happy to have a no-obligation chat to explain how we could support you. Claims of this nature are usually funded through No Win, No Fee, meaning there is no financial risk to you should the claim be unsuccessful through no fault of you own. Get in touch with our team who are dealing with this claim today and they will guide you through next steps and how we can help.