Melksham woman given ‘harmful’ mesh surgery says she won't ever be pain free

A woman who says she has been left in constant pain after a surgeon carried out multiple harmful procedures on her has spoken of feeling "violated" and "cheated".

Tracey Hanman, from Melksham, is one of hundreds of people who claimed they were harmed after being given a mesh operation by Anthony Dixon, a leading pelvic surgeon.

A review by the North Bristol NHS Trust previously found 203 women on whom Mr Dixon performed procedures between 2007 and 2017 came to harm.

He carried out the procedures while working at the trust’s Southmead Hospital and also at the private Spire Hospital in the city.

Today (18 July), Mr Dixon was suspended from practicing medicine for six months after a tribunal ruled he failed to provide adequate clinical care.

Mr Dixon maintains he always acted in good faith and that complications can arise from surgery. He has issued an apology to his patients.

Ms Hanman went to see Mr Dixon in 2017 at the Spire hospital after experiencing extreme stomach pains and was told she needed mesh surgery.

She said Mr Dixon didn't discuss any other options for potential treatment with her and she was told she should undergo surgery as quickly as possible.

"He was adamant that the tear was there and that I should have the surgery," she said. "I took his advice as I thought he was a professional."

"He was quite convincing that that was the best and only option for me," she added.

After the operation, Ms Hanman said her pain started getting worse but when she returned to Mr Dixon for a follow-up appointment, he dismissed her concerns.

"I just felt, just really stupid. He made me feel really stupid, and just wasn't listening to anything I was saying," she said.

Ms Hanman was later contacted by the Spire hospital to say an investigation was being carried out into Mr Dixon following numerous complaints he had performed procedures with appalling consequences.

The investigation revealed Ms Hanman's care was substandard and that she had suffered harm as a result.

Ms Hanman said: "I felt violated. I felt as though he'd personally gone out to harm me. I just felt cheated.

"He didn't need to do that surgery and a professional, that he should have been, would have known that so from my point of view, he just did it on purpose.

"It felt like you were a guinea pig and you were just used for making money on. It was horrific."

Ms Hanman said she has had to have further surgery in 2022 to have the mesh removed which has relieved some of her pain, but the operation has changed her life forever.

"I can't see that I will ever be pain-free," she said. "I just can't see that that will ever happen. And that's something that sadly I've got to live with and learn to cope with."

A representative for Mr Dixon did not respond to requests for a comment on Ms Hanman’s case.

In response to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal findings against him, he said: "I have accepted the findings of misconduct made against me by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal.

"Despite my wrongdoing, my only wish was to make [my patients] better. I considered that I was acting in my patients’ best interests, as the tribunal have accepted. 

"I am very sorry and deeply regret the misconduct described by the Tribunal .... I am committed to learning from my mistakes and to .. regain[ing] people’s trust and to continue working towards becoming once again the ethical and trustworthy doctor that every patient deserves and one that I was previously recognised for. 

"The tribunal has accepted the many supportive testimonials received from numerous patients of mine as well as my former colleagues."

Neither North Bristol NHS Trust or Spire Hospital Bristol comment on individual cases citing patient best interests and privacy.

However in a statement a Spire spokesperson apologised “to all patients whose care with Mr Dixon fell below the standards that should have been provided”.

They added Mr Dixon was suspended in 2017 and has not worked there since, saying: “We also referred Mr Dixon to the GMC and worked closely with the GMC in its investigations.”

North Bristol NHS Trust's Chief Medical Officer Tim Whittlestone told ITV News Mr Dixon was dismissed in 2019.

“We have carried out a thorough and robust review of affected patients, and would like to reiterate our apology to all of these individuals,” he added.

“We note the outcome of the recent MPTS hearing.”

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