An independent inquiry into issues raised by the malpractice of Mr Ian Paterson, chaired by the Rt Rev Graham James, the former Bishop of Norwich, recently published its report. The report has a number of significant implications for care providers and patients alike.
Mr Paterson was a surgeon practicing in the West Midlands, who treated more than 11,000 patients over a 14 year period in both NHS hospitals and private hospitals operated by Spire Healthcare. Paterson carried out more than 1,000 operations on breast cancer patients unnecessarily and/or negligently.
In April 2017, having been suspended from practice in 2012, Paterson was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent, and was later sentenced to 20 years in prison. Many of his victims brought claims against the Trust which ran the NHS hospitals, and against Paterson personally in respect of the private care received, although his own indemnity insurers avoided cover.
The inquiry examined a number of issues, including:
- Why Paterson had been allowed to practice unchecked for so long
- The lack of information provided to patients following adverse incidents
- The lack of communication between public and private sector care providers
- Indemnity cover in the public and private sectors
The inquiry's report covered 238 pages, and contained details of evidence provided by a large number of Paterson's victims. It made 15 recommendations including:
- A website is created to allow patients to identify what procedures surgeons are qualified to carry out
- Surgeons should write to patients detailing a proposed procedure in plain English
- Patients are given more time to consider whether to have surgery
- Recall procedures are improved where there are errors in treatment
- professional concerned, rather than the hospital, and introduces a "safety net" where there is a gap in cover
- The same standards and principles relating to treatment and complaints apply to both NHS and private care
The extent to which and speed at which the government implements the report's recommendations remains to be seen. The report does, however, highlight many of the problems in treatment provided to NHS and private patients where clinical care has been negligent, not just in surgery but also in non-invasive treatment.
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