Media Reports today indicate that a new patient recall exercise is to take place in Northern Ireland, only 2 years after the largest patient recall in NI history involving Neurology patients of the Belfast Trust.
The Southern Health and Social Care Trust have announced that a recall will take place in relation to the work of consultant urologist, who has now retired but who worked in the Trust for many years. Media reports suggest that the recall is taking place due to clinical concerns with the consultant’s work. Like the neurology patient recall, it appears the Trust are bringing in experts from outside of Northern Ireland to assist with the recall exercise.
This is obviously worrying news for patients, coming so soon after the largest patient recall exercise in NI history. Time will tell whether similar issues come to light in terms of the monitoring and review of the work of senior doctors, as is apparent from the issues arising from the Belfast Trust neurology recall.
At O’Reilly Stewart, we have considerable experience acting for patients involved in patient recall exercises. In particular, we can assist patients with the following:
- Obtaining all medial notes and records.
- Instructing independent medical experts to review the standard of care provided to patients.
- If the standard of care is unacceptable and harm has been caused as a result, we can fully advise patients and their families of their options for pursuing legal action.
We are already acting for a considerable number of individuals and families affected by the neurology patient recall. News of this new patient recall are highly concerning, and time will tell whether patients have been harmed because of medical care and treatment provided by the consultant involved.
If you or your family have been affected by the Southern Trust patient recall, please do not hesitate to contact our Healthcare Team who will be happy to advise you and guide you through the process.