The families of patients treated by a suspended orthopaedic surgeon are demanding a public inquiry after describing a review by the hospital as “not worth the paper it’s written on”.
Patients treated by Kuldeep Stohr, who specialised in paediatric surgery, have been given a first look at a 300-page review into why her mistakes were not spotted sooner.
Ms Stohr was a consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, but was suspended after nine children were found to have received care from her which “fell below the standard [the hospital] would expect”.
Addenbrooke’s made the announcement in February and said it would commission an external review into her treatment of a further 800 of her patients.
The full review will be made public on Wednesday morning, but as families were given an early glimpse on Tuesday there were calls for an independent review.
Radd Seiger, who is representing patients’ families, including that of 12-year-old Tammy Harrison, said: “It’s taken a long time to get this report. It’s 300 pages long, it’s going to take us a long time to digest it but my initial thoughts are it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.
“The families can’t trust what is being said. They seem to be going from ‘Yep, we let people down’ to ‘Now we’re going to put things right’.
“But we need to talk about accountability and justice for these beautiful children and maybe then we can talk about what’s coming down the line.”
Kuldeep Stohr was suspended after nine children were found to have received care which was below the expected standard
He said the families were now demanding a meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting and a “full public inquiry into this disastrous situation”.
Ahead of the publication of the hospital’s report into its handling of Ms Stohr, Roland Sinker, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are deeply sorry for the impact this incident has had on our patients and their families.
“This should not have happened and we are committed to making changes so it does not happen again.”
Addenbrooke’s has previously said that, of the nine original cases that had been reviewed, some had received care which “impacted on their quality of life”, though none were life-threatening.
Last spring, the families of those involved were called in for meetings with senior officials at the hospital to discuss their cases.
Among them were the parents of 12-year-old Tammy Harrison, who said they were advised to seek legal help by the NHS trust.
Tammy, from Cambourne in Cambridgeshire, was born with cerebral palsy and underwent surgery in 2021 to ease pain in her leg.
Her parents were told that, as part of the review, Addenbrooke’s had found screws had been put in her legs incorrectly. The family said this left her in agony for weeks.
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As she attempted to digest the Cambridge University Hospitals’ report, Tammy’s mum Lynn Harrison said: “We’re still really frustrated. It still leaves us feeling really angry.
“Tammy is petrified of going to Addenbrooke’s. She’s doesn’t want to be treated there but it’s our local hospital.”
The schoolgirl, who faces a lifetime of hospital visits due to her condition, now dreads each appointment.
“I hate, hate Addenbrooke’s,” Tammy said. “I used to not mind going there. But now I actually hate going there.”
Ms Stohr did not respond directly to a request for comment but has previously said she always strove to give the best care to patients, and had cooperated with the review.
The review left many other families questioning the care they had received from Ms Stohr.
Naeve Egan Ronayne has multiple complex medical issues and had surgery on her feet. The operation did not achieve the desired effect and Naeve had been unable to walk since.
Her mother Natasha said subsequent communication with the hospital had been poor.
“There was no accountability. That’s how I felt,” she said. “It was like, ‘oh dear, this has happened, but we’re not sure why’. And, quite frankly, that’s not good enough as far as I’m concerned, this is a person’s life.”
Nuffield Health launched its own investigation after concerns about Ms Stohr’s work with the NHS were made public.
The private healthcare provider said the consultant no longer practised at its Cambridge hospital and had not operated there since October 2023.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital said it had been focused on supporting patients and families “throughout this incident”, giving them advanced sight of the report and holding briefing sessions to explain the findings.
The report will be published in full on the trust’s website on Wednesday “alongside an action plan which sets out how we will address the investigation’s findings”.
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