Less than half of people undergoing leg amputation get good care, inquiry warns

Less than half of people undergoing a leg amputation in hospitals in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland receive what experts consider good care, warns the latest report from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD).1

Only 229 (44%) of the 519 patients who needed a leg amputation because of vascular disease or diabetes in the six months from 1 October 2012 to 31 March 2013 and whose notes were reviewed by NCEPOD advisers were considered to have received good care, as judged against recommended standards.

The mortality rate among the patients included in the inquiry was 12.4%, higher than the rate among …