Simon Wainwright was operated on by surgeon John Bradley Williamson before the consultant surgeon was sacked
Simon Wainwright in hospital.(Image: Supplied)
A Runcorn dad has been in “24/7 pain” for almost two decades after spinal surgery carried out by a sacked surgeon. Simon Wainwright, 52, underwent surgeries at Salford Royal in 2007 and 2008. He was treated by consultant surgeon John Bradley Williamson.
Two inquiries in the last five years found “severe harm” was caused to ten patients at Salford Royal and Manchester Children’s Hospital after they were treated by Mr Williamson. The inquiries looked at the treatment of 186 patients treated by Mr Williamson during his 19-year career in Manchester. Mr Wainwright’s surgery was not included in either of these inquiries but he has been consulted as part of a third inquiry which is yet to publish its findings.
Mr Wainwright, a dad of one, sought care after experiencing back pain caused by Scheuermann’s disease, a skeletal condition in which the spine curves abnormally during growth.
He told the ECHO: “After surgery, I was still in quite a bit of pain. Two years later I went to him [Mr Williamson]. He said it was just ‘settling in time’.”
Mr Wainright was referred to another hospital in Birmingham where he underwent the first of 12 corrective surgeries, leaving him with 28 screws and 18 rods in his back.
Simon Wainwright before his surgery(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Mr Wainwright, who is in pain to this day, has been consulted as part of the latest review into Mr Williamson, launched by NHS England in 2025 and expected to be published in the coming months.
When approached by the ECHO this week Mr Williamson said he “always strived to provide the very best care”.
Mr Wainwright said: “At Birmingham, they said some screws had been misplaced and would have to come out. It’s caused mental health problems and pain 24/7.
“It brings it all back when I think about being in the high dependency unit, where my legs were completely numb. It was horrible.”
Simon Wainwright in hospital following surgery(Image: Supplied)
Mr Wainwright said he felt he was not fully informed of the implications of the surgery at Salford Royal before it was carried out, and that there was a lack of physiotherapy after his operation.
Salford Royal is run by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust. Chief Medical Officer Dr Rafik Bedair apologised to Mr Wainwright, and said the Trust acted when concerns were raised, and that it provides safe spinal care today.
In 2021, an inquiry was launched into former consultant Mr Williamson and his treatment of some 130 patients at Salford Royal.
The review by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust revealed Mr Williamson repeatedly exercised ‘unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour’, carried out botched surgeries with misplaced screws in patients’ spines, and left patients with serious blood loss, long term pain and mobility issues.
In 2023, the review found Mr Williamson caused “severe harm” to seven patients in his care in Salford, that support screws were poorly placed in some people’s spines and some patients suffered heavy blood loss.
An x-ray of Simon’s spine(Image: Supplied)
In 2024, Manchester Children’s Hospital shared the findings of its own review into the treatment of 56 patients, showing patients had suffered ‘severe harm’ after being treated by Mr Williamson, referred to as ‘spinal surgeon A’ in the review.
The review found six patients suffered ‘moderate harm’ and required additional operations. “The complications occurring were recognised risks of surgery,” said the review, “but there was not always evidence that they had been discussed with the patient and family during the consent process”.
There was no evidence that these complications were reported as incidents nor that apologies had been offered to the patients or families.
The report found three suffered “severe harm” as a result of their operation, including “ongoing significant neurological issues as a result of surgery”, but the report noted “the outcome could not be directly attributed to the care of spinal surgeon A”.
Simon Wainwright, 52, underwent surgery at Salford Royal in 2007 and 2008.(Image: Supplied)
Nerve damage and paralysis are recognised risks of spinal surgery and those risks were shared with the patients and families during the consent process, said the review. But again, there was no evidence found that these were “incident-reported or that an apology was offered to the patient or family”.
Mr Williamson had enjoyed a leading position as the head of division for neurosciences and renal medicine from 2011 to 2015, had been an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons, and president of the British Scoliosis Society.
The surgeon, now 69, was employed by the NCA in 1991 before being sacked from the trust in January 2015 following inappropriate behaviour towards a member of staff, reported the Sunday Times.
Mr Williamson told the ECHO: “I have always strived to provide the very best care for patients. Due to patient confidentiality, I am unable to comment on specific patient care.”
Northern Care Alliance Chief Medical Officer, Dr Rafik Bedair, said: “I am really sorry Mr Wainwright continues to experience pain and discomfort. Any patient who has concerns about their care or treatment can come forward at any time for advice and support.
“In 2022, Northern Care Alliance carried out a spinal patient safety look back review to examine the care provided by a spinal surgeon. We instigated this after concerns were raised by colleagues through our Freedom to Speak Up process.
“The look back Review identified harm to a number of patients and we are deeply sorry for this.
“Every patient has the right to good care and to understand what went wrong when that does not happen.
“While it is regrettable that these issues took time to come to light, when concerns were raised by colleagues, we acted.
“Our spinal service provides safe care today.”