Statement from CUH Chief Executive, Roland Sinker
Background
On 14 February 2025, we announced that we would be carrying out a retrospective external review into the practice of an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in paediatric surgery.
This followed the conclusion of an initial external review, received January 2025, which identified that the outcomes of treatment provided to nine patients were below the standard we would expect, and that they and their families are entitled to expect from us.
As a precautionary measure in 2024, the Trust restricted the individual surgeon’s clinical practice. Following the outcome of this initial review, the surgeon was suspended and is co-operating with the Trust’s process. We are not naming the individual surgeon for legal reasons.
We remain very sorry that this has happened and we apologise unreservedly to our patients and their families.
We also confirmed last month that we were commissioning a separate investigation to identify whether there were any missed opportunities to have identified concerns and acted earlier.
We are now providing an update on the external clinical review of the surgeon’s practice, the independent investigation into missed opportunities and support for patients and families.
External clinical review of the surgeon’s practice
We have appointed barrister Andrew Kennedy KC to chair a panel of expert clinicians that will undertake the external retrospective clinical review. Mr Kennedy KC has extensive experience in healthcare including serving on a number of public inquiries. He has a strong track record of getting the right answers for patients and families.
The expert clinical panel will review the care of almost 700 patients who have undergone planned surgical procedures during the time the surgeon has been employed by CUH. We will be proactively contacting patients and families and prioritising them for a further clinical assessment and treatment where appropriate.
While the individual surgeon specialises in paediatric surgery, it is normal practice for all orthopaedic consultants to carry out emergency orthopaedic procedures on both adults and paediatric patients. Therefore, as part of this retrospective review, the expert clinical panel will also review an initial 100 adults and paediatric orthopaedic trauma cases to determine whether there are any concerns about the emergency treatment provided by this surgeon.
While it will take time to review the cases fully, we are committed to doing this in a thorough, open and transparent way.
Mr Kennedy KC said: “I am pleased to confirm that CUH has asked me to chair the clinical review panel to get to the right answers for patients and families. We will work tirelessly to examine all the cases within the scope of this review and to ensure that any shortcomings in care are identified as quickly as possible so that patients and families are fully informed and further consultations and treatment can be offered as appropriate. Patient safety will be our priority and patients and families will be at the centre of our approach, with a focus on honesty, openness and transparency.”
We will publish the findings from these external clinical reviews, along with the findings from the initial external review, once they are concluded and we will continue to provide updates as the review progresses.
Independent investigation into missed opportunities
We have commissioned Verita, a specialist investigations company, to carry out an independent investigation into what was known when about the practice of the individual surgeon and whether there were opportunities to have identified these issues sooner.
We know that concerns were raised as early as 2015 and were the subject of an external clinical review in 2016. The 2016 review indicated concerns about the care provided to a small number of patients and made recommendations for the Trust to implement. As part of their work, we have asked Verita to investigate whether that review was acted upon appropriately and, if not, why.
We welcome Verita’s comprehensive and rigorous approach and will implement any immediate and longer term findings in full. We will provide further updates at the conclusion of their independent investigation.
Support for patients and families
We will continue to focus on doing the right thing for patients and families. We understand the distress and anxiety that families are experiencing and we want to do everything we can to support them through this period.
Our approach to supporting patients and families is being led by our Chief Nurse and we have appointed a designated Family Liaison Officer who will act as a crucial point of continuity for patients and families during this time. We will continue to listen to patients and families and we will keep adapting our approach in response to feedback.
Our telephone helpline is available on 0808 175 6331 between 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday offering further support to patients and families.
We also have a dedicated email address CUH.helpline@nhs.net and we will respond as quickly as we can.
We apologise again for the impact this is having on patients and families and we will continue to provide public updates.
