Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge is reviewing the cases of 800 patients who were operated on by a now-suspended paediatric surgeon.
The hospital has also admitted that concerns were first raised about the individual in 2015, which led to a clinical review of the surgeon’s work the following year.
A specialist independent investigation team has been hired to assess whether the findings of the review were acted on, and whether issues could have been identified earlier.
The surgeon was suspended in January following an external review, which discovered that the outcomes of nine child patients fell below the expected standard.
Another much wider clinical review is now under way, chaired by barrister Andrew Kennedy KC.
This investigation will review the care of nearly 700 patients, many of whom are children, who were all operated on by the surgeon in question.
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Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) chief executive, Roland Sinker, said they will be “proactively” contacting the patients and “prioritising” them for extra clinical care.
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The surgeon, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has also carried out emergency operations at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which is a leading regional trauma centre.
The trust says at least 100 adult and child trauma cases are also being reviewed to find out if there are issues with the emergency treatment they received.
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With hundreds of clinical cases now under review, the hospital has appointed a designated family liaison officer to help support the families and patients.
Mr Sinker said: “While it will take time to review the cases fully, we are committed to doing this in a thorough, open and transparent way.
“We remain very sorry that this has happened and we apologise unreservedly to our patients and their families,” he said.
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A very serious investigation
This is a very serious investigation for Addenbrooke’s Hospital, concerning one of its senior specialist surgeons who was carrying out complex operations on very young children.
It is also a worrying time for the patients and their families as they wait to find out if the care they received was appropriate.
The bigger question is for the hospital itself.
If concerns about this surgeon were raised nearly a decade ago, why weren’t these issues recognised sooner?
And if a clinical review was carried out in 2016, did the Trust do enough to act on its findings?
‘Truly staggering’
A lawyer representing one of the families described the number of cases involved as “truly staggering”.
Associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, Catherine Slattery, said: “The first-hand accounts we’ve been told indicate a much wider issue regarding the care provided by that surgeon, and potentially over a longer period.
“It’s now vital that patients and their families are supported so they can be provided with the answers they deserve, but where appropriate, access to any follow-up treatment and rehabilitation they may require.”
