A Brierley Hill PARKINSON’S sufferer left with severe side effects from botched brain surgery must take legal action against the hospital responsible.
Keith Bastable claims that the side effects he suffered from failed deep brain stimulation surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham were worse than his original Parkinson’s symptoms.
Michael Portman-Hann, of the clinical malpractice team at law firm FBC Manby Bowdler, which supports Bastable, said lawyers representing the hospital admitted Bastable received “substandard” care in April 2019, for which they apologized. .
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves implanting electrodes into specific areas of the brain, which produce electrical impulses to try to control and reduce symptoms of a variety of conditions, including epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
Mr Portman-Hann said: “The electrodes were not inserted into the correct part of Mr Bastable’s brain, rendering the treatment ineffective.
“Unfortunately, he suffered some side effects that affected him more than the original Parkinson’s symptoms.
“The treatment left him needing further surgery to remove the original electrodes, and the whole experience has caused a great deal of unnecessary stress and trauma.”
Portman-Hann said Bastable was not the only patient in the QE to be affected, and that the DBS surgery service had undergone a full review involving more than 20 cases.
He said: “All of the patients who received DBS treatment between 2017 and 2019 have had their cases reviewed as a result of concerns about treatment and outcomes, and the results were damning.
“The research found that most patients benefited little or nothing from DBS, and many suffered as a result of treatment.
“He also said there were unacceptable delays in responding to patient concerns.
“The investigation panel said the problems were likely due to poor teamwork and a neurosurgeon whose technique was poor and was unable to change in response to poor results. The team was unable to identify the issue early, continually improve, and keep up with best practices.
“We understand that the research is now looking at patients who underwent DBS prior to 2017, and therefore it is currently unknown how many patients have been affected by this issue.
“We support Mr. Bastable in holding the trust accountable for failures in his care, which were allowed to continue even after poor patient outcomes were recognized. We are now starting a clinical malpractice case against University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.”
Anyone who thinks they might be affected can contact Michael Portman-Hann at FBC Manby Bowdler on 01902 297415 or email [email protected].
DBS service in QE has now been suspended.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs QE, said in a statement: “The Trust is committed to providing high-quality healthcare to all of its patients and we deeply regret that we have not provided this for many patients undergoing deep brain stimulation. for his movement disorder.
The statement said the trust had “learned a lot” from an independent report on the failures, adding: “Our neuroscience team and senior management have already taken steps to make vital improvements, based on the clear recommendations in the report, that will shape to how the service is delivered securely in the future.”
