Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has initiated a comprehensive review of 800 patient cases, following the suspension of a paediatric surgeon who is currently under investigation.
The hospital acknowledged that initial concerns about the surgeon emerged in 2015, prompting a clinical review of their work the subsequent year.
An external review conducted in January led to the suspension of the surgeon after it was found that the outcomes for nine paediatric patients did not meet the required standards.
In response, the hospital has engaged a specialist independent team to evaluate whether the initial review’s findings were adequately addressed and if any issues could have been identified sooner.
Further scrutiny of the surgeon’s practices is now being overseen by barrister Andrew Kennedy KC, focusing on the treatment of nearly 700 patients, many of whom are children. These patients were all operated on by the implicated surgeon.
Roland Sinker, Chief Executive of Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), expressed the hospital’s proactive approach in contacting affected patients and prioritising their additional clinical care needs.
The surgeon involved, whose name has been withheld for legal reasons, also performed emergency operations at Addenbrooke’s, a leading regional trauma centre.
The trust is also examining at least 100 cases involving both adult and child trauma patients to determine if their emergency treatment was appropriate. To assist the families and patients during this extensive review process, the hospital has appointed a dedicated family liaison officer.
Mr. Sinker committed to a thorough and transparent review process, stating, “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.”
