Clinical & Medical Negligence Newsletter - Attwaters Jameson Hill - Spring 2018

Spring 2018 Medical Negligence Newsletter | 03 Private hospitals warned by the CQC over surgeon standards Concern has been raised about potential failings that have been found to be widespread across the private medical sector. Two out of five private hospitals in England are failing to meet safety standards intended to protect the public from harm, health inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report. The CQC warned that the lack of “effective oversight” of consultants working for these hospitals (but not formally employed by them) was a “major concern”. Proper checks and procedures needed It highlighted the lack of proper checks and monitoring of senior doctors, mainly surgeons, to ensure that they were only carrying out treatments and procedures that they were qualified to do, and that they were carrying them out safely. It likened the failures to those identified in the case of breast surgeon Ian Paterson who last year was found guilty of 17 counts of wounding with intent and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The report said hospitals “could be reluctant to challenge” these consultants because they were bringing in patients and income. Assessing the standard of private care Every inspection assesses health services on whether they are safe, caring, responsive, effective and well led, and gives an overall rating to each. Of the private sector hospitals inspected, 62 per cent were given a “good” rating overall and eight per cent were described as “outstanding”. However, 30 per cent were deemed to “require improvement” overall, while three per cent received the worst rating of “inadequate” . “Two out of five private hospitals in England are failing to meet safety standards intended to protect the public from harm, health inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report”.