NewsUK NewsHospitalsSally 'Ann Pyrah 'Barnes, 68, was told equipment that had been prepped for the surgery had not been sterilised correctly, leading staff to cancel the operation as she lay there ready to go under14:51, 21 May 2026A patient's knee replacement surgery was cancelled as she lay in theatre as there was no clean surgical equipment.‌Sally 'Ann Pyrah 'Barnes, 68, had been on the ward for about 18 hours before she was taken to the anaesthetic room. An anaesthetist was preparing to give her a spinal injection when the surgeon walked in and asked staff to stop. Sally-Ann was dealt the blow that her operation had been cancelled because the surgical equipment was not properly sterilised.‌She said: "Within maybe three or four minutes, the actual theatre manager came down and said that the operation had to be stopped. They couldn't undergo the operation because when they were prepping the equipment ready for my case, they realised it hadn't been sterilised correctly."‌READ MORE: Woman diagnosed with cancer put on 70lbs eating 'sympathy cake'READ MORE: Dr Amir Khan says four foods could give you 'healthier' skinThe incident at St Woolos orthopaedic unit in Newport, South Wales, comes after a series of dirty equipment blunders at the same health board. It follows eight patients being sent home from the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport last month due to no clean surgical instruments.The hospital also carried out operations on 21 patients with unsterilised tools during operations in February. Patients blasted the health board after they were not told until three weeks later when they were offered tests for HIV and other viruses.‌Sally-Ann said she was "devastated" her operation was called off at the last moment at 3pm on April 8. She was rebooked two weeks later on April 22 before having both knees replaced in a single operation.Sally-Ann is still considering whether to make a formal complaint after speaking directly to director of nursing Jennifer Winslade. She said her priority is seeing "quality control" systems put in place so other patients are not affected.‌Sally-Ann said: "I was devastated. It's a bit different from other times when you're cancelled if you're at home. But to actually be in hospital, and I'd been in and out for nearly 18 hours, and then to be sent home was just ridiculous."A petition has now been set up for an independent review of leadership and culture at the health board. A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: "We are aware of this incident and have previously been in direct contact with the patient to resolve their complaint and offer our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this caused."During final checks before the operation, an issue was identified with a specialist piece of equipment needed for the procedure, which meant the decision was taken to postpone the surgery in the interests of patient safety. No treatment had begun at the time and no other patients were affected.Article continues below"This was an isolated issue affecting a specific piece of equipment and the problem has since been investigated and resolved. The patient was rebooked promptly and has since had their surgery completed successfully."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Hospitals