University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust (UHDB) has released an independent interim report into the care provided by Mr Daniel Hay, a specialist consultant benign gynaecologist, which has revealed concerns regarding how decisions were made for hysterectomies and sterilisations.
The report into the care provided by Mr Hay to almost 400 women examined patient notes and found there was a lack of paperwork and evidence of alternative medical treatments being considered prior to surgeries from 2015 to 2018 at the Royal Derby Hospital and Ripley Hospital.
Mr Hay no longer works for the Trust and has not undertaken any clinical activity there since July 2018, when he went on sick leave and then subsequently retired. The General Medical Council has placed restrictions on Mr Hay’s ability to return to medicine.
The investigation of 58 cases highlighted “13 areas of concern, including poor documentation, insufficient information on the rationale for clinical decision making and some operations added to the waiting list that were not necessary or could have been avoided“.
Additionally, the report found that there were “major concerns” concerning the care received by 50 women and “some concern” for a further 69 women.
The 383 women, whose case notes were reviewed as part of the report, are being invited to meet with a retired trust consultant. This is so they can share their experiences of the care they received from Mr Hay. Their accounts will then be shared with an independent multi-disciplinary review team. Once these accounts have been considered and evaluated, a full report will be published in 2022.
UHDB’s Executive Medical Director, Magnus Harrison, said work to introduce the report’s recommendations is “either currently under way or will start shortly“. Adding:
“When colleagues initially raised concerns in the latter half of 2018 and right through to today, we have worked diligently to piece together a picture of the care they received under this consultant in an open and transparent way,”.
“I want to make clear that the standard of care these women received was far below that which we strive to provide, and for that I am very sorry.”
How we can help
Matthew Olner is a Partner in our expert Medical Negligence team, which has been ranked in tier one by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500,
If you were treated during this period or if you have concerns regarding the care you received then our team are here for you to contact, whenever you feel ready to discuss your concerns. Our team has vast experience and expertise in gynaecological and obstetric negligence claims.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with a member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.