INVESTIGATIONS were launched after doctors at Southend Hospital operated on and treated the wrong parts of patients’ bodies.

A report due to go before the news meeting of the trust revealed four “never” events at the hospital.

These are mistakes that should never happen.

An investigation was launched after a male patient had the wrong testicle explored during “incorrect site surgery”.

Another patient had an “incorrect breast lesion surgically marked and removed”.

Surgeons used the “incorrect sized component” during a hip replacement and removed the wrong tooth from another patient while under general anaesthetic.

Five serious incidents were also reported in July this year.

The hospital said: “Three patients were diagnosed with hospital acquired thrombosis, a patient may have had delayed diagnosis of bowel ischaemia following surgery which may have been complicated by C Diff infection and a patient may have had delayed diagnosis of chest injury following a road accident.”

Despite the problems the errors are rare and while the death rate at the hospital is higher than the national average it is falling.

The board papers for 2017 revealed almost 88 per cent of A&E patients would recommend the trust.

Denise Townsend, director of nursing at Southend University Hospital, said: “Never events are rare occurrences and each one is fully investigated to find the root cause analysis.

“In line with our duty of candour process we have fully explained and discussed concerns with each patient involved.

“We are pleased our mortality indicator score has consistently decreased since June 2017 and is now within the expected range for the first time since June 2015.

“Southend University Hospital continues to be compliant with the national recommendations on learning from deaths through better engagement with bereaved families and carers, strengthened governance arrangements for mortality monitoring by newly introduced medical examiner roles and increased transparency.”

Last month the Echo reported 66 serious incidents were recorded in hospitals across the region between May and July, including seven never events.

These included an incident of wrong site surgery at the Mid Essex Hospital Trust, which had previously detailed how one patient’s finger was operated on accidentally and another patient had the wrong eye operated on.

At the time, the joint committee which oversees the trust at Southend, Basildon and mid Essex hospital trusts held Southend Hospital up as an example of good practice.

Carol Anderson, chief nurse for the Joint Committee Team, said: “Southend must be doing something right because they are not reporting significant numbers of never events.” The latest report revealed a few more have now been recorded.