West Hertfordshire hospitals chiefs have investigated after a patient was discharged with a 'foreign object' left inside following a procedure.

It is understood that the patient underwent the operation in maternity in May.

The patient was discharged – and only later did it emerge that an object had not been removed following the procedure.

It has been described by the trust as a 'never event' – an incident deemed to be a serious preventable incident that should never happen.

At a meeting of the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust board on July 1, chief nurse Tracey Carter said: "We are very sorry for this ‘never event’. We have apologised to the patient and ensured that no harm occurred.

"We have reviewed our processes and identified areas for improvement, so we learn from this incident."

According to reports submitted to the board, in addition to the 'never event' in May there were five serious incidents reported across the trust.

Of these, four were in the women and children’s division and one was in the surgery, anaesthetic and cancer division.

In 2020/21, there have been nine serious incidents recorded by the trust, which operates Watford General, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City hospitals.