What's happened
A locum NHS surgeon performing an emergency bowel operation at Royal Oldham Hospital has been found to have carried out a totally unconventional procedure that connected the small intestine to the stomach, creating a closed loop. The patient endured weeks of pain before another surgeon corrected the error; the tribunal has struck the doctor from the medical register for serious professional misconduct.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- This update shifts the focus from a single failed operation to the broader consequences for patient safety and professional accountability.
- Readers should consider how emergency decision-making is supervised for locum staff and how tribunals assess egregious errors.
- The case underscores the need for transparent post-op monitoring and timely escalating concerns from family and nursing staff.
Forecast: Training and oversight may tighten, with stricter locum hiring checks and real-time case reviews likely increasing to prevent repeat incidents.
How we got here
The incident occurred in August 2020 at Royal Oldham Hospital, Greater Manchester, where Dr Yasser Adly Abdel Rahman performed the procedure amid a large tumor. A second surgeon intervened, salvaging part of the bowel and creating a stoma. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled that the operation was not compatible with life and the surgeon later claimed a witch hunt.
Our analysis
BBC Manchester reports provide contemporaneous quotes and context from the tribunal; Independent covers the findings and Rahman’s response; New York Post provides detailed court testimony and expert testimony from Anthony Blower; all sources are cited within their original articles.
Go deeper
- What safeguards are being introduced for locum surgeons at NHS trusts?
- How has patient safety policy changed since 2020 regarding post-op monitoring?
- When will hospitals publish transparent accountability records after such cases?
More on these topics
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Royal Oldham Hospital - Hospital in Oldham, England
The Royal Oldham Hospital is a NHS hospital in the Coldhurst area of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It is managed by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The hospital has its own volunteer-run radio station, Radio Cavell, which broadcasts at 1350 AM.
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Ireland - Island in Europe
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel.
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Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service adjudicates on complaints made against any of the doctors in the United Kingdom, making independent decisions about a doctor’s fitness to practise.
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Greater Manchester - City in England
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; the third largest in England after Greater London and the West Midlands.
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United Kingdom - Country in Europe
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the northwestern coast of the European mainland.
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Stoma - Part of a plant. A pore or small hole in the surface a leaf (or other aerial organ) allowing the exchange of gases between tissues and the atmosphere.
In botany, a stoma, also called a stomate is a pore, found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange.