NHS pays out £1million in compensation to men who have had the wrong TESTICLE removed



Fifty-six claims made by men affected by medical blunders in four years

NHS pays out £20,000 if wrong testicle has been removed



Most common reason for payout is when testicular torsion is misdiagnosed



Blunders: The NHS can pay out £20,000 if the wrong testicle has been removed

More than £1million in damages have been paid out by the NHS to men who have had the wrong testicle removed by surgeons.

In the last four years there have been 56 successful claims made by men who have been affected by medical blunders, according to the National Health Service Litigation Authority.



In most cases the men didn't need surgery at all and in others surgeons also had to remove the second testicle.

The NHS normally pays out around £20,000 if the wrong testicle has been removed.



Roger Goss, co-director of Patient Concern, told The Sun: 'It is amazing that surgeons don't always take enough care to guarantee that they are removing the correct testicle.

'Despite the huge total compensation bill, individual payments sound modest for wrecking men's lives.'

According to the figures £1.3million has been paid out since 2009.

Men who have been left infertile can be rewarded up to £70,000.

But the most common reason for payouts is when doctors misdiagnose testicular torsion — where the tubes inside the body get twisted, cutting off the blood supply.

Other claims result from hernia operations where the blood supply to the testicle is accidentally cut off.

Testicular cancer affects one man in 450 before the age of 50 and is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 45.

The number of cases in the UK has doubled in the past 40 years and around 2,200 new cases are diagnosed each year.



There are various different types of testicular cancer, 90 per cent of which affect men under the age of 55.

Recovering: Chat-show host Jeremy Kyle was diagnosed with the disease just before Christmas and after receiving chemotherapy and having the problem testicle removed, he was given the all clear

The survival rate has risen every year since the 1970s and is now around 97 per cent, provided it is treated early.



Snooker player Jimmy White, UKIP leader Nigel Farage and drug-cheat champion cyclist Lance Armstrong have all overcome the disease.



Chat-show host Jeremy Kyle was diagnosed with the disease just before Christmas and after receiving chemotherapy and having the problem testicle removed, he was given the all clear.



Doctors told him he could have died within 18 months had the lump remained unchecked.

A Department of Health spokesman said: 'Quite simply, never events should never happen.



'There are simple ways to prevent them occurring, like the Surgical Safety Checklist, and everyone working in the NHS should ensure that the checklist is being followed



'The NHS treats a million people every 36 hours, and we know that the vast majority of these patients have excellent care.

