Another day, another patient recall in the Health and Care Services in Northern Ireland.
This time more than 9000 patients have been contacted in a review of the work of a locum consultant radiologist. Concerns have been raised, initially by the consultant’s professional regulator the General Medical Council, in relation to the interpretation of over 13,000 images, during the period beginning July 2019 and February 2020, including x-rays and CT scans, at the hospitals and care centres administered by the Northern Trust including the Antrim Area Hospital, the Causeway Hospital, the Whiteabbey Hospital, the Mid-Ulster Hospital and the Ballymena Health and Care Centre. By patient numbers alone, this is the largest cohort of patients to be contacted in Northern Ireland.
Letters have now been sent to patients potentially affected by this review with assurances that the Trust will move quickly. This comes against a background of two other patient recall exercises, now the subject of Public Inquiries; one in Belfast involving the patients of Dr Watt, Neurologist and the other in the Southern Trust involving patients of Mr Aidan O’Brien, consultant urologist.
In response to questioning, Trust Medical Director, Dr Seamus O’Reilly has acknowledged the review into the doctor’s work is “very serious” and that patients may have been incorrectly reassured they were well when they were not.
O’Reilly Stewart Healthcare is acting on behalf of many patients caught up in recalls in Northern Ireland. If you or any member of your family has been affected by the issues raised then please don’t hesitate to contact us for expert advice (0289032100, info@oreillystewart.com)