Suspended surgeon 'co-operates' with investigation

A surgeon who was suspended over concerns about substandard children's operations said she was "fully co-operating" with an investigation at a top hospital.

Kuldeep Stohr was suspended from Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, after a review found several operations fell "below expected standards".

Ninety calls and emails have been made to a helpline for concerned parents, and the hospital said: "We are very sorry that this has happened and we apologise unreservedly to our patients and their families."

Ms Stohr said: "I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients."

Addenbrooke's, a designated major trauma centre for the east of England, is now reviewing the care received by 800 patients - this includes 700 planned and 100 emergency operations.

A helpline was made available for parents who were concerned about the treatment their children had received.

The helpline had so far received 58 calls and 32 emails, the hospital trust said.

A letter to the family of one child, seen by the BBC, said: "Over time it became apparent that the rate of complications seen with Ms Stohr's patients was higher than expected".

The girl, who is now eight, underwent 20 operations after being born with a disability.

Her mother said Addenbrooke's had told her that if an operation had been done "correctly" at the age of 18 months, the youngster would probably not have needed further surgery.

The letter said an external review into their case "illustrated a number of problems with both judgement and technique".

The wider review, completed in January, analysed a number of complex paediatric hip surgery cases performed at the hospital.

It found some of the children's quality of life had been affected, including their mobility.

Barrister Andrew Kennedy KC has been appointed by the trust to chair a panel of expert clinicians which will carry out an internal review.

The trust's chief executive Roland Sinker previously said: "We take this matter extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring all affected patients and families receive appropriate care and support."

The hospital trust contacted the General Medical Council, NHS England and the Care Quality Commission in light of the review.

"We will identify whether there were any opportunities to have identified these concerns earlier, as well as any wider learning and changes required in the immediate and longer term," Mr Sinker added.

Kuldeep Stohr said: "I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients. I am co-operating fully with the Trust investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."

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