AN independent review into the Royal Bolton Hospital's surgical standards will be carried out — after five "never events" occurred in the last year.

One of the incidents reported by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust involved the wrong-sized lens being implanted into a patient’s eye, another had the wrong skin lesion removed and a third patient was given the wrong-sized hip replacement.

Another case involved the wrong tooth being extracted from a patient, while a final patient had a vaginal swab left inside her body.

Never events are defined by the NHS as serious incidents which are preventable but which could cause serious patient harm or death.

Each incident involved a different theatre and nursing team, and the hospital has already undertaken internal investigations.

The trust has asked the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) to conduct an independent review into how the surgical failings occurred.

The investigation into theatre services at the Royal Bolton will be supported by internal audits.

A spokesman for the RCS said: “The review been requested and we are in the process of making arrangements for it to take place.”

RCS reviews see expert teams, including a layperson who represents patients, determine whether there is cause for concern over surgical practice and make recommendations for improvement.

The spokesman could not confirm whether the review would examine individuals or services as a whole.

The number of invited reviews the RCS undertakes nationally each year averages at about 25.

The last RCS review at the trust involved an individual surgeon and took place in 2000. It is unrelated to the current review.

Heather Edwards, head of communications at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: “We have asked for an independent review so that we can see if there were any factors in common and so that we can learn from the events. Findings from our inquiries will be shared with the patients.”