Surgeon who caused harm has suspension extended

A surgeon who was found to have caused harm to hundreds of people has been suspended for a further six months.

A tribunal heard how Tony Dixon left patients in "agony" after using artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels at Southmead Hospital, in Bristol, and the Spire Hospital.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service suspended Mr Dixon for six months in July 2024, and on Thursday announced a further extension until September.

"I am satisfied that a period of suspension is proportionate and would be sufficient to protect the public and the public interest," Ms Morag Rae, the legally qualified chair of the tribunal, said in a letter.

Mr Dixon was also previously found to have failed to obtain informed consent or trial alternative treatment and not to have adequately investigated symptoms.

The General Medical Council brought the case against Mr Dixon, who previously denied all the allegations.

The tribunal came after an investigation by the BBC and a review by Southmead Hospital, which found more than 200 patients were harmed after Mr Dixon operated on them unnecessarily.

The BBC first revealed allegations made against Mr Dixon in 2017, when many women complained of severe pain following their operations.

Ms Rae's letter continued: "Dr Dixon's misconduct was serious, it encompassed several patients and involved significant failures to appropriately communicate key aspects relevant to consent.

"The tribunal considered that public confidence in the profession would be undermined if a finding of impairment were not made."

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