A MECHANIC lost his home and business after bungled chest surgery by an unsupervised trainee doctor, an investigation has found.

The junior doctor "was not sufficiently competent to perform" the procedure which left the patient with a wound that did not heal, according to an expert who helped investigate what went wrong.

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The patient, known only as Mr C, was conscious through-out the procedure at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and has said he found it painful as the anaesthetic wore off. He has also described his distress as it became apparent from the level of bleeding that the doctor "was struggling to carry the operation out".

A damning report by the Scottish Public Health Services Ombudsman on the incident also found medical records about the operation were inaccurate and, when Mr C complained about his treatment, NHS Lothian sent him a misleading response.

The report says: "In the circumstances, I consider that Mr C has been placed in a position where he has suffered a significant personal injustice, as his ability to work was compromised for an extended period causing him both personal anguish and almost certain financial loss."

Mr C suffers from an inherited heart condition which can disturb his heartbeat and in 2011 he had a device implanted into his chest to monitor this problem.

Three years later it was decided to remove this device and, at the same time, improve the scar on Mr C's chest. It was this "minor" operation, in August 2014, which was to have such far reaching consequences. The surgery was carried out by the trainee doctor who went on to get help from a more senior trainee.

Although Mr C's discharge documents say the procedure was uncomplicated, in November 2014 he required a second operation. This revealed large quantities of silk stitches under his skin - which had apparently been used to stem the bleeding first time around.

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When Mr C complained to NHS Lothian about his treatment, he said the wound from the original surgery had not healed for 12 weeks - a problem it is thought the silk stitches caused. The slow recovery and further operation, Mr C said, had left him unable to return to work as a self-employed mechanic for much longer than expected. Ultimately, the report reveals, he was forced to close his business and it says: "Mr C had also been unable to sustain his rental payments on his property and had been obliged to move back in with his parents."

While NHS Lothian admitted to Mr C his treatment fell short, the ombudsman concludes they failed to investigate the matter properly or deal with the issues it raised.

The trainee doctor's note about the operation says absorbable stitches were used, something the report describes as "untrue". The same records also describe the use of a technique to help blood to clot during the operation even though the required equipment was not available in the department.

However, these discrepancies were apparently not investigated by the health board when they looked into Mr C's complaint.

The ombudsman concludes: "The evidence... shows the board failed to investigate the matter thoroughly or deal comprehensively with the service failures Mr C experienced. I am critical of these failings, which resulted in a misleading formal response being provided by the board and a lack of evidence that adequate steps have been taken to prevent a similar situation recurring again."

Dr David Farquharson, medical director for NHS Lothian, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to apologise publicly to Mr C for the distress caused and we will be contacting him directly in order to provide a comprehensive response to all of the issues highlighted.

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“We accept the ombudsman recommendations in full and have an action plan in place to address these, this includes reviewing and reinforcing our policies around supervision of trainee doctors during surgical procedures, highlighting to staff the need for accurate and full consent, whilst also continuing to support our trainee doctors in order to improve their skills.

“NHS Lothian takes all complaints very seriously and has learned lessons from this issue.”