A mother has described her "sickening" discovery that bone material from a deceased donor was grafted into her daughter's mouth during cleft palate surgery without her knowledge or consent.
The Somerset family only learned about the use of cadaveric bone months after the operation, when they were informed the procedure had failed.
Spire Hospital has issued an apology, confirming that demineralised bone fibre derived from cadaveric bone was used alongside the patient's own bone during the surgery.
Following a two-year wait for NHS treatment, the girl's second bone graft operation was outsourced to Spire Bristol Hospital in December 2024, where a retired surgeon performed the procedure.
The agreed surgical plan involved harvesting bone from the child's knee and grafting it into her mouth, a standard approach in cleft palate repair.
Instead, the surgeon used a compound containing bone fibre from a deceased donor mixed with a small quantity of jawbone.
The mother said: "I found the whole incident with the cadaver bone utterly shocking, really sickening. When my daughter and I were in a meeting where we found out the second bone graft had also failed, the way the surgeon looked when she was looking through the medical notes was really concerning, she looked horrified.
"I had to ask what was going on, and when she told me, I was utterly shocked. My daughter was there so I didn't want to react too much, but I was furious, sickened, I just couldn't believe it. We had not given consent for this, we knew nothing about it."
The consent form signed by the mother made no reference to cadaveric material.
A mother has described her "sickening" discovery that bone material from a deceased donor was grafted into her daughter's mouth
|The daughter herself noticed something was wrong immediately after the patient woke from anaesthesia.
"I was surprised when I came out of being asleep because I was meant to be having part of the bone taken out of my knee yet I could walk fine," she told the BBC.
One expert, speaking anonymously, told the publication: "As it is a revisional procedure, extra care should have been taken to ensure a successful outcome - a 'non standard' treatment with (this compound) alone was not appropriate."
Another consultant noted that synthetic bone materials simply do not produce results comparable to those of the patient's own bone.
Owen Lake, a solicitor at Slater and Gordon representing the family, said initial evidence suggests approximately 12 children underwent treatment by the same surgeon during the outsourcing period.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Following a two-year wait for NHS treatment, the girl's second bone graft operation was outsourced to Spire Bristol Hospital in December 2024
|GETTY
He said: "It's not UK standard practice to use cadaveric bone in this instance."
Both Spire Healthcare and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust refused to comment on patient numbers.
The case emerges amid broader concerns about the South West Cleft Service.
A review of 268 patients awaiting treatment between 2020 and 2022 revealed that 118 suffered some degree of harm due to delays.
A 2022 report identified contributing factors, including insufficient theatre capacity, stretched speech and language therapy teams, and prolonged staff illness.
Typical Cleft lip and cleft palate seen on CT images
|GETTY
Cleft palate treatment requires highly specialised care, with delays or complications potentially affecting a child's speech development, eating ability, and physical appearance for life.
A spokesman for Spire Healthcare said: "We are sorry for any distress caused to this patient and an apology has been provided to the family.
"Any patients who have concerns about the South West Cleft Service (SWCS) should contact the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust."
The statement added: "This procedure was not a structural cadaveric bone graft. (This) is used as a type of filler when there are gaps that require repair.
"Its structure resembles cotton wool and is used to pack any gaps. It is a medical product used in many surgeries including dental surgery, neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery."
The consent form signed by the mother made no reference to cadaveric material
|PA
Dr Rebecca Maxwell, medical director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We can confirm that pieces of cadaveric bone are not used in cleft palate surgery in the South West Cleft Service.
"We absolutely recognise our failure to clearly explain decisions around the surgery which were made in good faith with the best interests of this young person at heart, and we are sincerely sorry for any distress caused.
"We understand that it can be difficult for any family whose child requires hospital care and acknowledge we could have done more to support this family through this challenging time.
"We would like to reiterate our apology for the concern caused to the family and will continue to work with them through their treatment journey."
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter