Children who underwent operations with a now-suspended surgeon at a Cambridge hospital are being let down again by a lack of information and transparency from the hospital’s trust, according to a lawyer representing one of the families.
Last month, Addenbrooke’s Hospital announced it had contacted the families of nine children whose complex hip surgeries “fell below” the expected standard, following an external review.
The orthopaedic surgeon, who has not been named, has since been suspended while a second external review is carried out.
But families are said to be “frustrated” by a lack of communication from Addenbrooke’s, which is yet to release the findings of the first review.
A lawyer instructed by one of the families has accused Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust of failing to follow official guidance in their handling of the patients and their families.
Catherine Slattery, associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, told Sky News: “Families should feel they are being supported through this process, and that their child is the centre of this investigation.
“At the moment, it doesn’t feel that way.”
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The National Patient Recall Framework – for patients “recalled” by a healthcare provider after a problem has been identified – states that the patient’s needs should “always be placed at the centre” of the process.
The guidance adds: “There should be appropriate and compassionate engagement with patients to ensure that the process remains patient focused.”
But Ms Slattery, who has spoken to more than one of the families affected, says Addenbrooke’s is falling short of the framework and needs “to be a lot more transparent about the situation”.
She said: “I think the communication has been lacking. I think that there hasn’t been enough information provided.
“The priority has to be patient safety to ensure that if there are any ongoing symptoms or issues that they are dealt with promptly.”
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In February, the chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust apologised to families affected, and admitted they had been let down.
So far, the outcomes of nine surgeries were found to fall below the expected standards. A second external review is now investigating every planned operation performed by the surgeon in question.
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In a statement, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We take this matter extremely seriously and we reiterate our unreserved apologies to the children and their families whose care was below the standard they should have received.
“We proactively contacted the parents of children where the initial external review had identified that treatment had fallen below the standard we would expect and that they and their families are entitled to expect from us.
“We have put in place arrangements for a further independent and external review into all of the planned surgical operations carried out by the individual during their employment with the trust.
“We will contact any child and their family if this independent process identifies the possibility that there has been a poorer than expected outcome from their treatment.”
