Woman who had over 20 procedures by under-investigation surgeon reveals her ongoing struggle to live her life

A mother-of-two who had more than 20 procedures with a surgeon whose work is now under investigation cannot lift up her children due to lasting damage to her wrist and arm.

Rebecca Williams first met consultant orthopaedic surgeon Leslie Irwin when she was just 12 years old, shortly after breaking her wrist.

Since around 2009, Rebecca has undergone over 20 procedures with the surgeon, including 12 operations, primarily at Spire Washington Hospital – where Mr Irwin is now banned from practicing and his work is being investigated.

Reasons for apparently needing surgery included wrist weakness, a tendon snapping, ligament issues, nerve damage, the insertion of metal plates and then another when she had an allergic reaction to the plates. She also had an emergency surgery at Sunderland Royal Hospital when her arm ‘snapped’ following a previous recent operation, and Mr Irwin was called when he was not on duty to operate.

Rebecca says she became so weary of the continual operations, and the excruciating pain she continues to live with, she even broached the topic of amputation in 2017, when she was only 21. However, she was persuaded against that – and then underwent further surgeries between 2018 and 2020.

Now, Rebecca, who has two young children aged 10 and seven, cannot pick them up due to the weakness and lack of mobility in her wrist. She lives in constant pain, has developed arthritis, and has previously been addicted to the tramadol she was prescribed.

“It is so difficult not being able to pick your children up, not to be able to tickle them, not to be able to do activities with them, because my arm doesn’t work properly. It will never be right. I have lived in pain for so long now, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t,” says Rebecca, from Sunderland.

“My husband and mam have had to support me since I had our first child, I couldn’t hold her and struggled to feed or clothe her by myself. With our second child, I was in excruciating pain after having major surgery and had to re-learn to use my arm.

“I now have splints for my arm in almost every room of the house, I just never know when something might go wrong or the pain will get even worse. I became addicted to tramadol when I was younger, which gave me terrible migraines – but I had to decide whether to be in agony or live with the migraines. That was a particularly difficult time and I was so young too.”

Having lived with pain and ongoing surgery throughout her teenage years, it almost became too much when she got to 21, and she asked about the prospect of an amputation.

“I was having all these surgeries and nothing was fixing the problem. It was always another operation – and it becomes so much, it has such a huge impact on your whole life, particularly when the problem is still there afterwards. I was in so much pain, there came a point I just wanted it to be removed,” she recalls.

“Mr Irwin advised against it, as he said I would still continue to suffer phantom pain, so I didn’t go ahead. But I still had more operations. I did ask questions, but Mr Irwin was so lovely, just an amazing person when you saw him face to face, and always felt so reassured. But nothing seemed to ever be resolved, and now this is my life.”

Rebecca is being supported by law firm Slater and Gordon, who has acted for patients of Mr Irwin for several months. Growing numbers of patients continue to come forward regarding Mr Irwin’s work at both Spire Washington Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital.

“Rebecca has spent so many years of her life undergoing surgery, and even years after her final operation with Mr Irwin continues to suffer with a lack of mobility in her wrist and lives in constant pain. It is devastating she cannot even play with her children in the way she would want to,” says Kate O’Brien, specialist clinical negligence lawyer who is acting for Rebecca.

“Understandably, Rebecca has many questions over the surgery and care she received, and we will support her in finding the answers she needs and deserves. To anyone for whom Rebecca’s story sounds all too familiar, we would urge them to come forward – we are committed to supporting as many people as possible in finding out what went so wrong in their care.”