Surgeon who operated on wrong vertebrae has no action taken against him

A consultant neurosurgeon who operated on the wrong vertebrae in a patient’s spine then kept his mistake hidden from the patient and his NHS trust has been spared any sanction by a medical practitioners tribunal, despite its finding that his practice was impaired on the grounds of dishonesty.

Nicholas Brooke’s efforts to remediate his error led to the introduction of new consent and preoperative procedures that had improved patient safety where he worked, the tribunal heard.

The main charge against Brooke involved a 2012 spinal operation on an NHS patient at the private Spire …