The 'surgical catastrophe' that cost a young woman her life

A patient died because of the failures of consultant spinal surgeon John Bradley Williamson - who ‘misled [a] coroner’ over the complications which led to their death - a new investigation has found.

The spinal surgeon - who worked at Salford Royal Hospital, the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Spire Manchester Hospital - has been shown to have caused numerous cases of severe harm to patients. The findings come after multiple patients spoke out about the results they have been left with from going under his knife.

The surgeon’s colleagues also internally raised concerns about Mr Williamson’s actions but were ignored and feared for their positions if they made allegations about their head of division, the review also found. Now, the latest in a host of reports into the consultant spinal surgeon has found that one procedure in 2007 was a ‘surgical catastrophe’, causing the death of ‘patient A’.

Patient A refers to Catherine O’Connor, a 17-year-old who had spina bifida, and died in the operating theatre in 2007. The new review, shared publicly today (March 7), says Mr Williamson’s failure to organise a second consultant for the procedure heightened the risks and led to huge blood loss, because the operation took longer, from the patient.

READ MORE: More cases of severe harm to spinal patients treated by surgeon John Bradley Williamson found

The latest review was commissioned by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) in 2022 after a 'significant concern' was raised by staff, which instructed barrister Carlo Breen to undertake an independent investigation 'to investigate how historic concerns and complaints dating back to 2007 relating to this consultant’s conduct, probity and capability had been previously handled