Police say review of teen's spinal surgery death near completion

A police force has said a review into the death of a teenager during spinal surgery is "near completion."

Catherine O'Connor, 17, died from massive blood loss during an operation at Salford Royal Hospital in 2007.

The operation was carried out by surgeon, John Bradley Williamson, whose failings were found to have contributed to her death.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the force was "seeking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service."

The Sunday Times reported that GMP was asked by the coroner to review Catherine O’ Connor’s death. 

A GMP force spokesman told the BBC: "In December 2022, His Majesty's Senior Coroner requested that GMP's Salford district reviewed the findings of Independent Expert Reviews. This review is near completion, and we are seeking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service."

Catherine O'Connor was born with spina bifida and underwent the operation in a bid to straighten her twisted spine. 

Her sister Angela said she had been told it was a major operation but that it would "improve her life hugely."

An independent 2022 report found Mr Williamson's failure to arrange for another spinal consultant to be in the theatre "directly contributed" to her death.

The report also found he misled the coroner at Miss O’Connor’s inquest about the severity of the quantity of blood she lost in surgery and the trust did not properly investigate concerns.   

Angela has called for a new inquest and a full recall of all patients seen by her sister’s surgeon, who also worked at Manchester Children's Hospital and the Spire Hospital.

She has also set up the JBW Patients Group earlier this year to support those affected by Mr Williamson's surgery.

She said: "Your life changes literally overnight. I still feel angry, still sad."

Another report, published earlier this month, by barrister, Carlo Breen, looked into how the hospital trust, now the Northern Care Alliance, had handled the investigation into Mr Williamson.

It found there was a "failure of trust governance process and by the trust of its duty of care to Patient A's [Catherine's] family."

An earlier trust review, in 2017, had looked at just 10 patients and Catherine's case had not been chosen as a "patient of concern."

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has apologised to patients, families and staff and said it would continue to put into practice what had been learned. 

Any other patients with concerns are urged to contact the trust. 

In a statement given to the BBC, Mr Williamson said it was "important to recognise" that standards in many aspects of practice had "changed considerably” He said: “I have always made patient care my first priority. There are findings and conclusions with which I do not agree."