Hospital faces cataract complications claims

Dozens of patients that received outsourced cataract surgery on the NHS have been left with impaired vision, pain and discomfort.

A total of 31 out of 64 patients treated by Vanguard Healthcare Solutions on behalf of Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton in Somerset reported complications. One, an 84-year-old man, claimed he has been left blind by the routine surgery.

A report in the Somerset County Gazette said that the services provided by Vanguard were terminated after four days. The value of the contract was estimated to be £320,000, with 400 operations scheduled.

In the same article, the hospital’s medical director Dr Colin Close said the firm had been drafted in to reduce a backlog of patients. He was also quoted as saying that the hospital could face compensation claims and that financial responsibility would rest with Musgrove Park.