Surgical Errors

Mistakes made during surgery, or the wrong advice about risks before surgery, can give rise to a medical negligence claim if serious harm is done. We have the expertise to help you investigate what went wrong and achieve the compensation you deserve.

Experts in Medical Negligence Claims

Speak to an Expert

Consent to surgery

Every surgical procedure has risks. These should be explained to you by your surgeon before you agree to undergo any procedure or operation. No doctor should tell you that surgery is risk-free. The law says it is important that you know about the risks and benefits of undergoing surgery so that you are able to make an informed decision about whether you should proceed; this includes being told of any alternative treatments. If you are not warned adequately about a potential adverse outcome to surgery and then this arises, we can investigate a potential claim for damages on your behalf and have supported many families who have had the same happen to them.

“If anyone ever finds themselves a victim of medical negligence I can safely advise you to reach out to CL Medilaw, as they will NOT let you down!”

“I would highly recommend the CL Medilaw team, they are trustworthy, supportive and proactive and extremely professional, it was a very positive experience.”

“The way CL Medilaw managed my case has been incredibly helpful, they earned my trust through their clear communication and honesty.”

“CL Medilaw explained everything clearly and thoroughly, answered all my questions, and responded promptly to every email throughout.”

Meet our Team

Our experienced team will be on hand to support you throughout the claim process.

Alex Tengroth

Senior Associate

Amy Greaves

Partner

Amy Milner

Senior Associate

Andrew Clayton

Partner

Andrew Cragg

Partner

Charlotte Measures

Partner

Dan Green

Partner

Dimple Raja

Senior Associate

Elise Bevan

Partner

Emma McCheyne

Senior Associate

James Wright

Partner

Rebecca Mather

Partner

Tim Dennis

Partner

Errors during surgery

Mistakes can happen in the operating theatre and the outcome may not be as you expected. A failure to notice changes in a patient’s blood pressure, oxygen levels or cardiac function whilst under anaesthetic can have devastating consequences. If cardiac arrest occurs, it can take only minutes for a brain injury to occur. There may be other medical errors made that cause injury to internal organs and have an equally damaging effect on the brain.

Life Changing Stories

We make the legal side of things as easy and worry-free for you as possible. We concentrate on getting answers and the best compensation to provide for your needs, whether that is rehabilitation, care, suitable accommodation, specialist aids and equipment, or all of those things and more.

Alex’s* Story: High Value Head Injury Claim After a Devastating E-Bike Accident

|October 18, 2026|

Alex’s life changed in seconds when a van pulled out from a side road and collided with him as he rode his electric bicycle [...]

Jane’s Story: Brain Haemorrhage

|March 10, 2020|

In late March 2008, Jane collapsed at work and was unconscious for 10 minutes before she was taken to hospital by ambulance. When she [...]

Elan’s Story – Living her dream

|June 14, 2019|

What happened? Elan's mother had a normal pregnancy but problems developed in labour. There was a failure by the medical staff looking after Elan’s [...]

Clementine’s Story

|June 11, 2019|

Facts Clementine was her parents first child. Clementine’s mother was admitted for induction of labour after term. Labour appeared to progress initially before it [...]

Ryan’s story: Cerebral palsy claim

|May 29, 2019|

Cerebral palsy after Syntocinon induction Ryan’s case was closed by solicitors and experts who said it wouldn’t win. We turned that around and won [...]

Charlie’s Story: Periventricular Leukomalacia

|May 23, 2019|

Charlie was born extremely premature and developed spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, learning difficulties and epilepsy. Charlies lives a very fulfilling life and wants to [...]

How we can help

We can support you through an investigation to explore whether you were not properly advised of risks and alternatives to surgery, or whether a surgical error should simply not have occurred. We can help you obtain the right level of compensation in order to ease your path to recovery and give you and your family financial security.

Surgical Errors Claim FAQs

Yes, you may be able to make a claim for a surgery that went wrong if it was caused by medical negligence. Medical negligence occurs when a healthcare professional fails to provide the expected standard of care, leading to harm or injury to the patient.

Some examples of surgical errors that may be considered medical negligence include:

  • Performing the wrong surgery or operating on the wrong body part
  • Using unsanitary equipment or instruments
  • Failing to properly monitor a patient during or after surgery
  • Administering incorrect anesthesia
  • Causing damage to organs, nerves or tissues during surgery
  • Leaving surgical equipment or foreign objects inside the patient’s body

A surgical error is a mistake or oversight that occurs during a surgical procedure, and can range from minor mistakes to serious, life-threatening complications. Some examples of surgical errors include:

  1. Wrong-site surgery: This occurs when the surgery is performed on the wrong part of the body, such as the wrong limb or organ.
  2. Incorrect incisions: The surgeon may make incisions in the wrong location or cut too deep, which can lead to damage to nerves, blood vessels, or organs.
  3. Leaving surgical instruments or other foreign objects inside the patient: This can cause serious infection and other complications.
  4. Anesthesia errors: This can include administering too much or too little anesthesia, using the wrong type of anesthesia, or failing to properly monitor the patient’s vital signs during the procedure.
  5. Infection or other complications: Improper sterilization of equipment or poor surgical technique can lead to serious infection or other complications.
  6. Post-operative complications: This can include complications such as bleeding, clotting, or infection that occur after the surgery is completed.

Surgical error claims due to medical negligence rarely go to court, with only a small percentage of the more complex cases ending up there. However, in the unlikely event that your case reaches court, we will be by your side throughout the process.

It is important to pursue your surgical error claim as quickly as possible due to time limits and to also enable us to help you obtain compensation as soon as possible. This is especially the case in complex cases as the process can be lengthy.

You have to start your claim within 3-years (limitation period) from when the injury occurred or when you first became aware of any potential negligence or injury as a result. However, the time limit only begins when a child reaches 18 years of age.

There may be several options open to you to include legal aid, No Win No Fee and legal expense insurance. We can advise you on the correct funding method for you. We have designed a No Win No Fee package to protect you from paying any costs should your claim not be successful.

We can provide a second opinion free of charge. We have acted for many clients who have been told they don’t have a case, but by looking at the claim in a different way and with our expertise, we have gone on to be successful.