NCEPOD Releases New Study

A leading clinical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell has called for cosmetic surgery firms to take a serious look at the services they provide, after a new report criticised the sector for failing to provide adequate care to patients.

The study from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) has claimed that many people who visit such firms are facing unnecessary risks, with over half of sites lacking a fully equipped operating theatre and one in five having no policy on readmitting patients in an emergency.

Almost a third of cosmetic surgery companies also fail to offer a “cooling off” period and a fifth of them also do not have a resuscitation expert on hand at all times.

Clinical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell regularly deal with cases where cosmetic surgery patients have experienced problems with their surgery or aftercare and Partner Jonathan Peacock has called for this latest report to be the wake-up call that the industry needs.

Peacock explained: “Many of the cosmetic surgery cases we deal with are caused by errors that could have been avoided had proper facilities been available with an adequate system for follow up care.

“Many of our clients are left with no option other than to pursue a claim for damages in an attempt to try and rebuild their lives and put such terrible problems behind them.

“The NCEPOD report’s verdict that regulation in the industry is poor needs to be taken on board immediately and authorities need to act on the findings to ensure that everyone who approaches such companies get the treatment they deserve.”

If you have been affected by negligent cosmetic surgery you might be entitled to claim compensation. See our Cosmetic Surgery Claims page for more information.