Mesh surgeon Tony Dixon fails in anonymity bid

A surgeon facing dozens of negligence claims has failed to stop reporting restrictions being applied to a legal case.

Former patients of Bristol doctor Tony Dixon say they were left in agony after undergoing mesh operations.

He is suing his former employer Southmead Hospital to try and stop documents being released to solicitors acting for his ex-patients.

But his attempt to not be named in that case has failed.

Mr Dixon's lawyer argued in the High Court that being identified could harm his mental health, saying he has had suicidal thoughts and was struggling with his libido, which he blames on media attention.

The North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead Hospital, dismissed Mr Dixon in 2019.

A BBC investigation first uncovered the pain and medical issues suffered by Mr Dixon's former patients.

Hundreds of them came to see him at two Bristol hospitals - The Spire and Southmead - with bowel problems as he was pioneering a new type of surgery using mesh.

He used the artificial mesh to lift prolapsed bowels - a technique known as laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy (LVMR) - often caused by childbirth.

But a review carried out by Southmead Hospital concluded more than 200 of Mr Dixon's patients should have been offered less invasive treatment first, and while the surgery was satisfactory, it was unnecessary.

He has previously said any surgery could have complications and that his operations were done in good faith with most being successful.

A psychiatrist gave a statement to the High Court where he said Mr Dixon was suffering from moderate depression which included "disturbed sleep" and "a loss of libido".

Mr Dixon himself was quoted as saying: "The main thing is media. The GMC (General Medical Council) is nothing, having 200 people suing you is nothing."

One of his former patients said she was shocked by that comment.

Paula Goss, from Rectopexy Mesh Victims and Support, said: "I think it's outrageous what he said.

"He should think about all the hundreds of patients that he harmed that have not got any libido as well, and that have suicidal thoughts like he is trying to profess he has."

In a judgement published on 26 July, Judge Mr Justice Nicklin, who presided over the hearing to decide whether Mr Dixon should be named in the lawsuit against North Bristol NHS Trust, concluded that the risk of suicide for Mr Dixon was remote.

The judge added that exposure to media attention was the "price to be paid for open justice and the freedom of the press".

When contacted for a comment Mr Dixon told the BBC: "I am unable to comment while proceedings are ongoing."

A North Bristol NHS Trust spokesperson said: "We welcome the court's ruling that this matter is one to which the usual principles of open justice should still apply.

"It would however be inappropriate to comment any further given that the main application hasn't yet been heard in court."

A GMC inquiry into the operations carried out by Mr Dixon will take place next September.

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