Inquiry after "never event" at hospital trust

A patient safety investigation has been commissioned by a hospital trust in Shropshire after a serious incident in its eye department.

The board of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust (SaTH) was told that the incident, in ophthalmology, happened in May, and was classified as a "never event".

These are defined as serious incidents that are "wholly preventable".

A SaTH spokesperson said no further details would be released due to patient confidentiality.

The issue was raised at a SaTH Quality and Safety Assurance Committee meeting on 27 May, with the board taking up the matter at a meeting on Thursday.

The trust's ophthalmology department works across the county, with outpatient departments in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.

There are outreach clinics in Whitchurch and Welshpool.

Complex eye surgery is performed in Shrewsbury, and there is a cataract suite on site.

Paediatric eye surgery is carried out in Telford.

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